Dark Angel
by Android Kaeli
Summary: Two different Worlds collide together when a portal opens up between the two. As some of the Dragon Ball Z villians are brought into the Star Wars Realm, things start to get a little hetic. UNFINISHED AS OF NOW
1. Prologue

**Dark Angel**

_Disclaimer:_  I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters.  I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters.  They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in.  That is all.

_Author's Note: _ Alright, I am definitely redoing the Prologue through Chapter 25.  Why?  There is too many things that do not go well together at this point and I don't like it.  As of right now, the timeline for Star Wars and Dragon Ball Z are the same, meaning that three years have passed in both universes.  Goku is still alive and I will explain that at the very end.  When I had started this crossover a long time ago, I hadn't seen the end of the Android Saga/Cell Games, so I did not know what had happened then.  Now that I have seen the end of DBZ and Attack of the Clones, I can put to good use the new information that I have received.  

I am doing it chapter by chapter, uploading it every time I finish a new part.  Ignore what happens in the next chapters if they don't go together.  Enjoy!

**Prologue**

            This was something he had not done in years but felt like he had been doing this for all of his life.  Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi stood in the throne room of the Theed palace on Naboo, no emotions on his face or eyes like it should be done.  His arms were slightly crossed over his chest as he stared straight ahead at the person that sat before him not too far away.  He was clad in the traditional Jedi robes that he wore nearly every day like the Jedi of the past.  He had his lightsabre clipped on his light brown belt, which gleamed in the light, natural or otherwise noted, of the room.  His bluish-grey eyes had a hint of longing in them as they drifted every so often to the child that stood next to him.

            It had been three years since he had been in this very same palace of the queen.  Three years since he had watched his Master, Qui-gon Jinn, die at the hands of a Sith.  Three years since he had killed the very same Sith that had dared to kill his teachers.  Three years since he took Anakin Skywalker in as his own Padawan, despite Yoda's and other's objections.  Still, as he stood in the throne room, there was a chance that Yoda and Mace could be right.  Right that the small boy could not be the one that would save them.  Of course, they had to prove it to him first.

            Obi-Wan sighed slightly as he shifted his weight from one foot to another restlessly.  Queen Amidala was sitting on the throne of her palace, talking about things that have come to pass, things that were happening at the moment, and things that were to come.  There were several other people listening to the young queen, including Anakin who hung on with every word that she had spoken.  However, the Jedi had lost interest from the very beginning of the conversation.  Amidala was just telling everyone else what he and his Padawan already knew: That there was another Sith still alive.  Still alive after all this time.  Looking for revenge for his fallen Padawan or perhaps something even greater then that.  And that he was looking for another apprentice.

            But there was something that Obi-Wan knew that the others did not, besides his own Padawan.  That there was just more than the Sith that was causing trouble.  A week earlier, maybe even longer then that, information had poured into the Jedi Council from a source only Yoda and Mace knew of.  What seemed to be a portal that might lead into another part of the universe had opened up near Tatooine, of all places.  Several Jedi had been dispatched to check it out, but so far none had returned from the trip. It made all wonder what was really going on with it.  

            It wasn't _where_ it lead to, but _who_ saw it.  Tatooine was one of the major criminal planets of the galaxy if not the _only_ one, controlled by the slug-like Hutts.  It wouldn't be hard to _not_ notice something was swirling in the Outer Rim, especially where the Hutts were concerned.  And, yet, he was surprised that there wasn't any reports of ships attempting to go through it, although he had figured that quite a few had already done so.  Even if they did, it wasn't his concern at the moment to worry about what was being created in another part of the universe.  Until he was given his orders to do so, his main concern at the moment was to appear interested in what the queen was telling him.

            "Obi-Wan, is there something that you want to tell us?"  Amidala's voice asked, breaking into his thoughts.  The Jedi blinked his eyes, looking directly at the queen from somewhere else in the room and forced a smile upon his lips.  Anakin looked up at this master as he stood next to him, wondering what was possibly more interesting then what she was talking about.

            "Why do you ask, my queen?"  Obi-Wan wondered, this smile slowly fading from his lips.  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before the queen spoke again.

            "You have been quiet all this time.  You are rarely quiet, especially on the topics at hand,"  She replied easily, tilting her garnished head some.  "I know you know something else about what is going on.  Something more about this matter.  Jedi always do."

            "What if I do?"  Obi-Wan snapped, looking down at his Padawan.  Anakin gave him an innocent look as he placed his arms behind his back.

            "Don't worry.  Anakin did not tell me what is going on with your Jedi business.  I doubt he even knows what his own Master knows,"  Amidala assured him, her painted lips smiling brightly.  Obi-Wan took in a deep breath as he bit his lower lip, his eyes moving up towards her.  The queen leaned forwards, light dancing on her brown eyes.  "I do, however, want to know what _you_ know, Jedi Master.  It seems to me that the Council wants little information to leek out even if it is in the best interest of the Republic."

            "I can not tell you at this moment.  I am sorry, my queen.  I have sworn not to say a word,"  Obi-Wan replied, the forced smile back upon his lips.  She blinked her painted eyes at him as she stared with disappointment on her young face.  Anakin was still looking at his master, a blank look on his face as he attempted to make sense at what was going on.

            "Master, why can't we tell them?  We can trust them,"  The young boy cried out, almost pleadingly.  Obi-Wan looked down at his Padawan, a stern look replacing the smile that he had.

            "No, Anakin.  Remember, we made a promise to Mace that we know can be told to anyone,"  The master said, sighing as he knew full well this was not looking good in front of respected members of the Republic.  "I, like the rest of the Council, know that we can trust them with things, but there are ways what information we have will eventually reach the Sith's ears. We don't want that to happen, now do we?"

            "No, Master,"  Anakin grumbled, looking down at the ground.  The older Jedi smiled down at his Padawan, satisfaction on his face.  Although Anakin could burst out things easily when he wanted to, he always could look so innocent when he knew he was wrong.  _How did I get myself into this mess?_  He thought several minutes later when Amidala felt it was safe to talk about other matters again, his attention going somewhere else.

****

            In another world that was nestled in another universe altogether, things were different then they were supposed to be and he knew it.  Goku stood just outside the Capsule Corps. main lab building, his arms lightly crossed over his chest.  His eyes stared straight ahead, his face emotionless for a change.  A light wind flew over him gently, the coolness of it touching what skin that was exposed.  The clouds moved in the sky slowly, blocking the sun at times.  Birds chirped in the few trees that were on the large compound, reaching his ears but he ignored them for the moment.  There was something else that was on his mind that was far more important at the moment.

            The Saiyan sighed, closing his eyes.  There hadn't been much activity in the last three years since the end of the Cell Games.  Freiza and King cold had been defeated by a boy from the future.  The Android threat was over and done with, so that was no longer a problem for the people of Earth.  Now there was nothing to do in the time of peace that had been going on in the last few years.  No threat to worry about, unless he considered the fact that Vegeta still hated him.  The Saiyan was glad that there was no trouble in the universe. No trouble at all.

            Yet, there was something out there, waiting in some part of the galaxy.   Waiting for the right time to attack or even worse.  Goku could feel it move through his body, ripple through his soul..  He knew the others could sense it as well but remained quiet until something drastic would happen.  He didn't want to tell his wife, Chi Chi, that he and his son, Gohan, felt something as well.  The Saiyan was scared enough of his wife as it was.  If he told her about it, there probably would be no end to her bickering about it.  At least, for a while.

            "Hey, Goku!"  A female voice called out to him.  Goku opened his eyes slowly, blinking them in the sunlight that poured down onto him from behind the clouds.  He looked over his shoulder to see Bulma Briefs waving at him from the entrance to one of the buildings as she walked over to him. The Saiyan smiled at her as she walked up to him, a small smile on her lips.

            "Hey Bulma," He said almost forcefully, the innocent smile still on his lips.

            "What are you doing here?  Vegeta left to train at sunrise.  I am surprised that you aren't with him,"  She said to him, standing next to him, her eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

            "No, no.  Not today.  Just your father about an hour ago.  Had to ask him something,"  He answered with a slight nod.  He uncrossed his arms, still looking at her with interest.  Bulma tilted her head slightly, a wondering look on her face.

            "What for?"  She asked, confused at this.   He sighed, looking up at the sky.

            "Lately, I have been sensing something, like a high power level that I know I have felt somewhere before. It started a few days ago but nothing has come or happened since the Androids,"  Goku said, moving his eyes along the sky line.  "It might just be me, but I don't know.  There could be something that is wrong out there, and I need to know what it is."

            "Yeah, so?  How does that involve my father?"  She asked, starting to become a little annoyed at this.  

            "You ever notice how the clouds change at different times?"  The Saiyan asked suddenly.  "I mean, they change when it rains, when it snows, when it is a sunny day--every time there is something different about them."

            "Huh?  Goku, what are you talking about?  You are not making any sense whatsoever!"  Bulma cried out, throwing her hands up in the air.  She then stared at him blankly, wondering what he was trying to tell her.

            "Well, just look at the clouds for several minutes.  They are too dark today although I don't believe that it is going to rain anytime soon,"  He said plainly.  Bulma stared at him for several more moments before looking up at the sky, still confused.  The clouds were grey, some a little on the dark side, as they moved across the sky.  They were small in size, too small to hold any kind of water nor were they were fluffy enough for a day like today.

            "What are you trying to tell me, Goku?  So what if the clouds look like this?  You must have gotten hit on the head too many times with Chi Chi's frying pan,"  She said, rolling her eyes as she turned her gaze back upon him.  Goku went silent, his own eyes watching the sky.  His lips moved to form a thin line, Bulma watching him intently.  After several moments, he shook his head, placing his arms at his side.  He steadily kept his blue eyes on the light blue sky, seemingly waiting for something to come from it.  Waiting to see if anything would come out of the clouds besides rain.  To see if he sensed right.

            "I really don't know, Bulma.  I really don't.  Whatever is going on has to be something we already know about,"  The Saiyan muttered, moving his gaze from the sky back to Bulma.  He didn't fully understand it either nor he did know the exact words to tell his friend without know exactly what was going on.  _There should be no more threats left to disturb  this planet unless there was something we overlooked,_ He thought, his face becoming serious.  _Frieza was killed years ago, twice.  The Androids can not use their powers for evil any more.  Unless there _is_ something, I shouldn't be worried._

            "Well, I believe I know what is going on,"  A knowing voice said behind the two.  Goku turned around on his heels to see Dr. Brief's standing a few feet behind them, his arms behind his back and his black cat sitting on his shoulder.

            "What did you find out?"  The Saiyan asked, an excited expression coming upon his face.

            "There seems to be some type of interference about several miles outside the Earth's top most atmosphere.  From the probe that I sent to investigate it, there looks to be some kind of portal that looks like it has been open for at least a week.  The information could be wrong, but I am not sure,"  He informed the two.  

            "Huh?  A portal?"  Bulma hissed, turning around quickly.  She faced her father directly as he pushed his glassed up.  "Like a hole in space where you can go to different places in the universe?"

            "Yes, but this portal looks to be different then that.  It leads to other parts of a galaxy that is not ours,"  Dr. Briefs replied simply.  He was answered by two blank stares, who blinked their eyes at him in confusion.  The doc sighed and explained further.  "Meaning, this portal doesn't just take us from one part of the universe to another.  I believe that it would take someone to a whole another universe that is not ours."

            "Oh, I get it now.  So, where does this portal take people to?"  Goku asked, a smile lighting up his blank look.  He suddenly looked like an innocent child again on his birthday.

            "I honestly don't know, Goku.  I supposed I could send someone through the portal to see where it takes them, but I don't know how stable it really is,"  He mused lightly.  "I don't want to send anyone through it till I know for sure."

            "Then let me go through first just to make sure,"  Goku demanded, crossing his arms back over his chest.  Bulma stared at him like he had just sprouted a second head.

            "No,"  Dr. Briefs said sternly, shaking his head.  "I don't want to endanger anyone's life."

            "I can handle it. I have faced worse,"  The Saiyan explained.  "Besides, if there is something out there, I should try to stop it at any costs."

            "Well, you aren't going anywhere without me.  I'll be damned if you are going to have all the fun,"  A demanded voice growled out from behind the doctor.  He front in place as Goku looked over him to see Vegeta standing there, his arms crossed over his chest.

            "Since when did you get back from training so early?"  Bulma demanded sourly.  Vegeta ignored her as he stared at Goku, his face unreadable.

            "Well, Vegeta.  It will be fun to try something new!"  Goku said a little too happy.  Bulma rolled her eyes in disgust, stomping away from the group.  Both Saiyans were about to leave for other places but Dr. Briefs voice stopped them.

            "There is something else you two should know about this,"  He said before either one could fly away.  The two stopped in their tracks, their eyes wandering over towards the doctor.

            "What is it now?"  Vegeta hissed angrily.

            "That was the good news I just told you."

            "What's the bad?"  Goku wondered, suddenly wishing that he had not asked that question.

            "Someone has been using the portal."

****

            It was a find to end all finds no matter who else knew it existed.  In fact, he didn't even care.  As long as they didn't interfere with what he was doing, then he would be fine.  Darth Siddious sat in the cockpit of a ship that he had long since forgotten where he had gotten it from, his eyes staring out of the window into the deep space.  He wore a pure black cape, which draped over his shoulders gently.  The hood was on his head, covering his face completely so that no one could see who was veiled in darkness.  Not even his dead Padawan knew his true face or identity.  The Sith was silent, his ship sitting near the desert planet of Tatooine.  

            The portal a lone smuggler had found several weeks ago sat right in front of the ship, a light dust-like cloud swirling around it.  It reflected off of the twin sun's that kept Tatooine in it's infinite heat, causing the particles of dust to become multicolored.  He knew where it headed to even though many had not survived.  One that not one had seen without dying first by his own hand. He had found new planets to conquer, new spaces to explore---a whole universe to claim as his own.  Siddious also found that he could travel back in time using the portal.  With every blast he hit it with, the time in the other universe shifted back a year.  The Sith  went back in time three years.  Three years to see what would happen.  He found that on the planet that was called Earth, in which the portal came out to, there was a strong force.  He had seen that force but was not satisfied with it. So, using the portal to come back to his own universe, the Sith hit the portal several more times, thus sending the years back more.  He then went back into the portal once again, using his scanner on his ship to locate this new force.  Siddious located it on another far away planet that he soon discovered was called Namek.  there, he found the force and brought it back to the portal.  Back to the Sith's own universe.

            Reversing the years back to the future wasn't easy.  The creature that Siddious took from the other universe should have been defeated, which would have caused history to change. Change drastically.  It wasn't like he cared about that, but he then figured it would probably affect the portal as well.  Yet, he found a way to defy that without causing too much stir.    Having the best droid makers on Tatooine create a exact replica of the creature took a few hours but short enough to know that nothing was really messed up.  Once it had been completed, the droid was sent to the exact time and place the creature was from.

            Days later, Siddious returned through the portal to find the planet Earth and the universe had been placed back to the way he had first seen it.  Somehow, without damaging anything else, the time balance shifted back forward to the future.  The time that the Sith wanted it to be at.  Without that new shift, then his plans would have been destroyed.

            "When will we meet up with my father?  I am growing impatient and it isn't nice to make me wait,"  A feminine-voice stated from behind the Sith.  Siddious turned his head slightly over his shoulder to see a figure standing behind him, it's arms cross over it's smooth chest.  A pair of horns jutted out to the side of it's purple crested head, the light in the cockpit reflecting off of it.  It's three-toed feet held up the figure's small body, it's tail moving impatiently, the tip of the tail tinted purple.  The creature's sing was a light pink, it's ruby-red eyes staring coldly forwards.  It's black lips were pressed in a frown, anger upon it's face.

            "Soon, Frieza.  I took the liberty of switching him with a droid as well.  That way, your past won't change and this portal won't disappear," Siddious replied, turning his attention back to the front.

            "You had better hope not for your sake," Frieza growled out, narrowing his eyes.  "I wonder why you didn't change the rest of them."

            "Who says I did or did not?  I just have not found some of them.....useful,"  The Sith answered, his gaze still on the portal.  "Those that I need right now are on the planet, waiting.  Waiting just like we are for your father."

            "As you say,"  The other replied, closing his eyes.  "I wonder still as to why you even bothered to do all of this."

            "Easy, my new friend.  I need your help in controlling his universe.  You have most of it in your grip already if not all of it.  With your help, there is nothing to stop a ever rising force,"  Siddious replied, a hidden smirk on his lips as he leaned back in his chair, his own plans unknown to anyone.

**To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 1

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter 1

It was something that wasn't surprising to the least to them even if they knew something like this could have never have happened before. Unanswered questions lingered in their heads, waiting to be answered but none came. Few knew what to make of the current situation, actually refusing to believe it was the work of anyone outside their own universe. It wasn't logical that there was anything else other then their own world, or was there some logic behind it? They may never know.

However, those things were the furthest from Vegeta's mind as he stood inside one of the many Capsule Corp.'s space ships, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were narrowed as he stared straight ahead at the open door in front of him, a frown creasing his seemingly young features. There was nothing uncommon about the way the Saiyan was standing as it was just him showing impatience and anger that he held towards the rest of the world and the universe. He had other emotions, of course, but there were only a few that he was readily willing to show towards anyone, including Bulma and the rest of her family. It wasn't that he _couldn't_ do it; it was just he wasn't _used_ to showing much other things. Long years of being under Frieza's tyrannical rule would have that effect on anyone.

He began to grow tired of waiting for Goku as he had been waiting far longer then he should have been doing already. Vegeta had been waiting a little over an hour and a half, growing restless with each passing second. It wasn't like they were going anywhere else besides out into another universe that they knew nothing of and would not know what would happen on the other side of this portal. _How much time does it take to get ready for a short trip through a damn hole?_ The Saiyan prince thought bitterly to himself, narrowing his eyes even more then he had before. _I just want to get this over and done with so that I can go back to my training. I don't even know why I even bothered to go with him in the first place._

"Vegeta? Are you ready?" A voice asked from somewhere outside of the ship. Goku poked his head around the entrance to the ship, a innocent look upon his face. Vegeta let out a small growl, his eyes moving away quickly. "Hope I haven't kept you waiting for long."

"I have been ready for an hour, damn it," He hissed as Goku walked to Vegeta's side, a half smile on his lips. "What kept you so long?"

"Chi-Chi, for the most part," He said sheepishly as he walked to one of the two seats that were in the ship, his eyes wandering over them. It took him a moment to finally choose one and sit down while Vegeta sat down in the remaining one, his arms still crossed over his chest with a scowl on his face.

"I think we need to buckle in, Vegeta. From the last time I have been in one of these ships...."

"I've been in one of these blasted things before," Vegeta snapped irritably, growling other words under his breath as he uncrossed his arms. The two Saiyans both placed their own belts around them before each resumed their usual positions. A moment later, a small screen fizzled to life, the image of Dr. Briefs coming upon it.

"Alright, it is time to go," Dr. Briefs said as he looked over the two of them. 

"I figured that much," Vegeta grumbled under his breath, trying desperately not to roll his eyes.

"I know you did, Vegeta. I just hate to let you two go without knowing what is one the other side of the portal. Chi-Chi alone would kill me and I've already received enough death threats from Bulma to last me several years."

"Can we just go already?" The prince barked, becoming much more then angry at the wait then he had before. "I have waited long enough for him to come, so why should I have to wait any longer?"

"Vegeta, going through something that you have never been through before is tricky business, but if you are sure you are ready, then just listen to my instructions," He started before nodding down towards the control panel. "I do have to warn you that this is our last working ship as the rest are either too out-dated or Vegeta wrecked them on his travels."

The Saiyan snorted at that without much thought.

"In any case," Dr. Briefs continued, deciding to ignore him for the moment, "Bulma has already programmed the corresponding coordinates from here to the portal. She also has set the ship to go to any planet within a thousand-mile radius. This way, you won't have to worry about how to get to some place. However, I don't want you two to go out of the ship if you land upon any planet. We don't know anything."

"So, how do we take off then?" Goku wondered.

"Just push that big red button and you will blast off. I expect you two to be back within two hours if things go alright. Be careful and good luck," He said, the screen fizzling out quickly as the link between him and the two Saiyans came to an end. Goku nodded to nothing in particular, his eyes roaming along the control panel, searching for the button. It took him several moments to do so, he placed a hand over top of it. His hand hovered there for a moment as if he was unsure to really push it before his nervous finally were pushed aside and flesh touched metal as the button was pushed. The ship started to rock inside and outside as it started up, ready to take it's occupants into the farthest reaches known.

"Here we go," Goku mused, feeling slightly fearful and the feel of gravity as the ship started to ascending upwards. Vegeta then closed his eyes, feeling the thrill of being pushed upwards. The force lasted for about ten minutes before there was seemingly no gravity around him nor his companion. He slowly opened his eyes, staring straight ahead into the wilderness beyond that of the ships hull. The distant balls of stars sparkled outside the ship as it drifted forwards, moving with ease as the control panel blinked to life. 

In the far corner of the window, a small cloud of dust swirled around a hole that glistened with the stars behind it. The light from the sun reflected off of the dust particles, creating almost a rainbow effect upon it. The ship creaked and turned towards this wonder, allowing the full view of the portal. Vegeta stared at it breathlessly, his coal eyes moving along each spiral of light.

"Damn," Was all he said as they moved towards and then into the portal, not knowing where they were headed or what they would find.

****

In the other universe, things went on like they had for countless years. Ships came and went to different planets in the galaxy, moving with ease like there was nothing stopping them. People on different planets went about their daily lives, the thought of others doing the same thing many light years away not even crossing their minds. Even the thought of the portal did not enter their wondering minds as their own days went on like nothing else mattered.

On the planet of Tatooine lived most of the gangsters and smugglers of the galaxy. There were other smuggler planets in the far reaches of the galaxy, controlled and run by almost the same people. More then half of them knew someone who knew someone else that did business on the Outer Rim planet, making it easier to spot allies and foes alike. Some of them even had connections with the Hutts, who were a slug-like race that controlled most of the Outer Rim and it's territories. Jabba the Hutt was the biggest dealer there, with that being said in more places then just his business. With lieutenants in all parts of the universe, it was hard enough as it was to keep a secret from the crime lord and his family.

Other people were bounty hunters who were looking for their next job or having a drink at one of the many Tatooine cantinas that were overcrowded with drunks of all species. Even at these cantinas it was hard to keep things to one table no matter how little the other's were paying attention to them. There would always be that one person listening on in a conversation that they had no part in, whether it was by their own hearing or with the help of a droid counterpart. 

Moister farmers lived miles away from most towns, some living in small communities while others were off by themselves. Jawas often visited these farms, hoping to sell their stolen droids and parts to unsuspecting prey. Tuskin Raiders, or Sand People, often did their own raids even if they were more murderous then even by Jawa standards. This all came together under the twin suns, life moving along on Tatooine like it always had been.

Most travelers avoided the planet altogether and for good reasons too. The crime in the streets were enough to deter even some members of the Jedi Council and rivaled that off Coruscant's own tough streets. Unless someone didn't want to be found or wanted their plans to be known, there were very few if any that dared to set foot on the desert planet. They simply went past to another Outer Rim planet to get what they needed although the others weren't better then Tatooine itself.

Darth Siddious didn't worry about his plans needed to be known to those that dwelled on planet as many were too weak, succumbing to even the simplest of Mind Tricks. He knew most of the dealers in Mos Eisley wouldn't even bother trying to dispatch their minions to someone that was cloaked in a black robe with a hint of a lightsabre every so often. At least he had his secrecy under his control and enough leeway to do things others would not be able to accomplish.

"So, what do you propose we do now since you have the majority of us here?" King Cold asked as he, Frieza, Siddious, and Captain Ginyu sat at a table in a Mos Eisley cantina. From what Frieza had wondered, the group of mismatched creatures that Ginyu had assembled weren't much of a help to Siddious at this moment. He assured his new found friends that help would be needed at certain times and those times would call for them.

"There is certain things that must be done," Siddious said with hesitation, although the three of them were wondering if his eyes were darting around to see who was listening in on the start of their conversation. "Certain people to get rid of. The Jedi, for example."

"Jedi?" Ginyu asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. "What are they?"

"They are those that protect this worthless galaxy for all that the Senate wants. They have been a threat to the Sith for millennia and to what I want to do with the useless space," The Sith said, lowering his voice just slightly. He had felt a small ripple through the Dark Side of the Force, which usually indicated that something small was happening, like someone moving towards them. "One of them has already killed my last apprentice, which I suppose was retribution for Maul killing his own master in the process. I need your help to make what I want to do go faster then what it is going now. I have the majority of the Galactic Senate under my control; it is only a matter of time before the rest is persuaded over to my side. Time that I don't want to spend doing things that do not need to be done."

"From what I see," Frieza mused lightly, looking around the cantina slowly, just as bored as his father was doing. Even Ginyu was looking bored, not easily done in his respect, "you could get help around here."

"You three don't seem to understand that this is _not_ your universe. You are in _mine_ now and farther way from yours. You do not trust anyone in the Outer Rim or it's territories, even if they are sided with the Hutts or some other organization other then the Republic," The robed figured growled out from inside the darkness of his hood. "I did not even trust any of my apprentices fully nor should I have had to. This galaxy works much different then yours does. Understand that. That is one of the things that different it from each of ours.

"Care to explain?" Frieza asked, his eyes eventually reaching back upon the Sith's.

"In time you will see these differences no matter how small of amount we have of it. Now, I need your help in this matter," Siddious said, frowning from under his hood. He was becoming more and more impatient with explaining things to them although he figured they wouldn't be the stupid idiots he had tended to work with over the years. It wasn't wrong to ask questions but asking too many of them or the wrong ones would make one end up dead on the street for all to see the mistake that he made.

"Whatever you said," Cold said just as bored as he had done so before, this time with a light shrug of his shoulders added into it. "However, we need more information on the Jedi before we can do anything. We don't like to go into this blindly, you know."

"Here. This will explain things more in depth then I can," The Sith said, reaching into the folds of his robes and pulled out a data pad. He then slid it across the table to the other, waiting for a small but quick response. He looked at it for a second before taking it into his hands, a little unsure as to what it contained. Pressing a button on it, the pad showed him and his companions things from the first era of the Sith and Jedi to present time. It took several minutes and several glances from others at different tables for all of the information to run itself course before the pad's screen went blank.

"What do we get out of this if we help you?" Frieza asked simply once he tore away from the object. Siddious looked at the smaller creature, wishing now that he had the ability to vaporize him on the spot. However, no matter how great the need for that, there was an even greater need for revenge and control.

"Half of the galaxy and the universe beyond it will be yours. _Half._ No more, no less," He replied, leaning back in his chair gently. "That is what you get out of this. The planets, stars, moons, and other things are yours to command as you would like to. I will not interfere with your side as long as you do not interfere with mine."

"How do you know that you would keep your promise?" Ginyu demanded coolly.

"You will have to find that out when this is all over with. For now, we have to trust each other despite the little information we all know about the other side."

"Deal," Cold replied, setting down the data pad back onto the table. Siddious raised a hand and, without even flinching or moving any part of the table, moved the pad across the top of the wooden slab. It was an easy feat to do at any skill level on either side of the Force. The three of them didn't seem to be impressed with his little trick as he placed the pad back into his robes as Cold continued on. "How do we get rid of these so-called 'Jedi'?"

"They can not be much harder to wipe out then the Saiyans were," Frieza mused happily, thinking back in the past that they only knew of. 

"They probably would not be despite the fact that I do not know what a Saiyan is nor what they can do. But, it all depends on what you have faced in the past. These Jedi do not have their own planet nor would they ever. Possession is forbidden in Jedi law, so not even owning the smallest thing is allowed. Instead, they have their own Temple on the Republic capital of Coruscant. I would rather keep that planet around for the purpose of it's use rather then have it destroyed," Siddious started without any emotions running through his voice. "The Jedi Council normally stays on that planet, but they can move about the galaxy as they please. They govern over the rest of the Jedi."

"Interesting to know this. If we get rid of this Councils of theirs, then we get rid of the Jedi," Frieza said thoughtfully, smiling in a manner that would make anyone feel even the slightest twinge of dark hope. Siddious nodded slowly, his thoughts trailing back to the thought of why he was even going through the trouble of doing this. Then all he had to do was to think to the things that he wanted to have done that he would not have to do. 

"It would work for the most part, but it would not have the effect that you might think it would," He said with caution and hints of anger. "Jedi do not easily crumble no matter what limit you push them to. You would be surprised at the extremes that they can survive at."

"That is a problem that can be solved easily," Cold answered, snorting. "If a small blast can destroy the Saiyan race and their planet, then not even half of it's size would be needed for the Jedi."

"Father, have you tried your powers out yet?" His son growled out, keeping his anger down the best way that he knew how. "They are near useless right now! Until we can get them back to what they are in _our_ universe, we can't do anything."

"Welcome to my world," Siddious muttered without thought.

****

They were far away from Tatooine, not even knowing what was going on in a distant cantina. They would not know until it was possibly too late to stop them even if they knew ahead of time. How could they stop someone who would do almost anything to destroy them? It was impossible to think about, but they could do it. Hopefully.

".....and I think that the remaining Sith brought reinforcements through that portal," Obi-Wan finished saying, catching his breath without really bringing attention to himself. He stood in the middle of the Jedi Council room, a blank look upon his face like he had been trained to do since he was a young boy. Anakin stood right next to him, standing as still as he could possibly be. The glass windows of the room showed the busy outer world of Coruscant, which now seemed like a alien place to them no matter how long they had been there.

"From the information that you have gathered, it seems like this portal is more dangerous then we had originally thought. And, yet, do you believe that this Sith went through that portal as you say he has?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked, looking at his fellow Jedi squarely in the eye. Obi-Wan nodded a little too eagerly, the blank expression still upon his face. Since they had returned from Naboo the day before, the Council had been hounding them about different information that they had collected when they had originally left several days ago. They also wanted to know if the queen knew anything was amiss in the order of the Jedi. Obi-Wan had told them over and over again that Amidala and her council knew nothing about the happenings that were going on light years away. The Council seemingly believed him, even though Yoda looked like he had some small doubts about that. All except for Mace Windu.

"Yes, I do. We know of his existence and the slight tremors through the Force would most certainly be picked up by him. And, before you say anything, Mace, again we impose that we did not tell Amidala anything," Obi-Wan added before Mace Windu could even say the words.

"I still believe it is possible that she found something out, Obi-Wan," Mace informed him, leaning forwards to gaze even more at him. "She isn't as naive as you think she is. Those that are younger grasp things better then those that have years of training."

"Doubts, some of us have. Small matter, it is now, as to who knows things," Yoda said in his wise voice, keeping his face straight forwards at nothing in particular. "Keeping the galaxy safe, our priority is."

"Is there anything more we can do about it without any more ships drifting too far to the portal?" Obi-Wan asked with a hint of concern in his voice. "There are curious minds that want to know things and this portal is one of them. I fear that they will drift too close to it without fully knowing what it is capable of doing to them."

"What can we do about it? We do not know what we are dealing with just yet," Ki-Adi answered. "Once we do, then we can take further action in this matter."

"And I suppose you want me and Anakin to find out more?" The young Jedi asked as he looked around at the Council. He figured this much since they had placed both himself and his Padawan in a position that they either had to take this or spend their time doing other tasks that were far more suited for less experienced Jedi. He knew that there were even fewer that the Council trusted although many of the other Jedi could quite possibly do a better job with the task at hand.

"It would give you and the Council as to what we are dealing with rather then ignoring it. Perhaps even more time to train Anakin in situations like this," Mace instructed them. Obi-Wan glanced down at Anakin, who had a look of pure interest on his face and a small smile as well. He knew what that meant as he pulled his attention back forwards.

"What do we have to do?"

****

To Be Continued


	3. Chapter 2

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter 2

It was one of those times when things couldn't get any worse in the world but they did. Anything that would happen could only happen to him and it was, especially on a day where it looked like nothing would be going wrong. That is, if there was ever a day like that on Coruscant with the apparent loudness of the crowds and the steady streams of ships going from one place to another in a matter of minutes. Crowds of people wandered around on the streets, not even bothering to stare up at the ships above them, wondering if any would fall down onto the hard ground in rubble. It was just another day on the this planet that seemingly did not sleep.

"Master, why is the Council sending us to Tatooine? Why can't one of them go and find out what is going on? Or they could send others to it?" Anakin asked as he and Obi-Wan stepped outside the Jedi Temple that sat upon Coruscant. It had been there for generations, the center of peace and the place that those that dwelled on the planet looked to for assurance. Course, the latter could very well be untrue, but it was still something some looked to for comfort. The boy was still young in age, but his skills as a Jedi were improving since he first was taken in as a Padawan. Still, there was a hint of darkness around him that everyone saw, Jedi or not.

"Because some of them believe that they shouldn't get involved with little things and this is coming from not only some of the Council but other Jedi as well. Some think that the Council should send other Jedi to do what they want done so they won't have to," Obi-Wan answered dully, narrowing his blue eyes as a scowl appeared on his face. A light wind, which was powered by machinery since Coruscant was one big city, flew past them as they stared straight ahead, stopping just a few paces outside the Temple itself. They kept their eyes out for the small transport that would take them back up to their own bigger ship.

"Oh. I think I understand," Anakin said in a forced small voice, moving his eyes up towards his master for a moment before moving his gaze back forwards. The Coruscant sun bore down on them as a steady stream of shuttles and ships flew above them. The planet was a busy one, with ships, transports, and shuttles going every which way without much thought to what was going on around them. Towering buildings loomed over the streets, going high into the man-made atmosphere. There were some smaller buildings that stooped low on the ground, but they were few and far between.

"Not all Jedi nor Council Members think that way, Obi-Wan. Those that do have not had a seat for very long think that way," A voice added in from behind them. Obi-Wan turned around to see Ki-Adi standing there, clad in the traditional Jedi robes. Anakin did not bother to turn around to see who it was, probably already knowing who it was or just didn't want to bother with it. The Jedi walked to the other two, his face a blank except with a small smile upon his lips. His high domed head held a massive brain and his second heart, making him probably the best choice to have on the Jedi Council. "You think that I don't want to know what is going on? Besides, something might happen that you can't help."

"The Council just wants to keep an eye on me, that is all. So, they sent you," Obi-Wan mused, shaking his head in a disproving state.

"No, they didn't. In fact, several of them didn't want me to go. Mace was actually the one that urged me to go. He and Yoda both know that I don't want to sit around, waiting for you to come back with the information that they want," Ki-Adi told them. "Trust me on this on, Obi-Wan. Even though I am on the Council doesn't mean I always agree with them. We've been known to have our....disagreements."

"So, you want to go with us?" Obi-Wan countered. "Why all the sudden a Council Member wants to find out something on their own?"

"There is some left-over defiance left in you from your own Padawan years. I want to go; you know that."

"I know. Give me the real reason why you want to go."

"Do Jedi always have to justify their reasons, Obi-Wan?" Ki-Adi glanced over towards the back of Anakin, who was continually staring at nothing in particular. "Why did you want to train Anakin?"

"Qui-Gon asked me to, so I am." He glanced over at his own Padawan, a wistful look crossing over his face before it disappeared.

"Is that the real reason that you did? Or was there something else that compelled you to?"

"I...." Obi-Wan stammered, looking directly down at the boy. Anakin looked back up at him, an innocent look on his face. There was still something about his eyes that Obi-Wan did not like and that something was inside of his eyes at that very moment. It was like he was about to explode at any minute, but waiting for the right time to do it at. The older Jedi looked back up at Ki-Adi, who tilted his head slightly to the side. "I wanted to, I suppose. After all, I wanted to live up to Qui-Gon's own training. I don't have any real reason as to why I want to. I guess I was just compelled to do it."

"There, you see? I want to come with you for my own reasons that I can not tell you. Besides, you may need some extra help. There is bound to be more then one thing that is helping with the mysterious Sith," Ki-Adi said, the smile on his lips getting bigger for a moment before it faded. The sound of a approaching transport made any other conversation futile as it slowly descended from the stream of different ships to a point farther away from the Temple itself. 

"Ready?" Anakin called out to them as he started to walk towards the descending transport. 

"I suppose we are," Obi-Wan mused as he took one last glance over at Ki-Adi before the two of them followed Anakin, knowing full well as to what they were getting themselves into.

****

It was an experience that they soon hoped would be over and done with so that they would forget it altogether. They didn't even want to go back through it, doubting that they would be able to even survive it a second time around. Now both wondered if this was a good idea from the beginning as Goku kept his eyes closed as the ship was put forward into the portal by sheer gravity itself. Outside the small ship, the dust-like particles swirled all around them, pushing the tiny piece of metal towards the other side. It was like there was an invisible force moving them along without fail. The stars were barely visible to the two as they continued to go into the unknown.

"How long do you think this damned portal is?" Vegeta's angry voice snapped into Goku's thoughts. Goku opened his eyes, looking over towards the other Saiyan, who still had his arms cross over his chest. Instead of having that permanent scowl on his face that he always had on, there was an expression of pure terror and fear that no one would probably ever see again. This was one of those rare times that he hardly showed any signs of other emotions then he had on his face or in his voice.

"Don't know. I suppose we have to wait 'til we get to the other side," Goku replied, turning his eyes back forwards to the window facing them. _I just hope we get there in one piece, _The Saiyan thought, biting his bottom lip. There was a small part of him that was beginning to worry about the fact that they may not even get out of the portal alive. Even if they did, something might go wrong on the other side, like if they were ambushed or far worse then that idea.

"You think? Well, if...." Vegeta stopped short before the ship was pushed forwards with an automatic thrust. The two were pulled forwards along with it then fell back in the seats as the ship warped quickly towards the end of the portal in a flash. It slowly moved a few more feet forwards before coming to a drift in a unknown space far away from the planet of Earth. Goku stared at the window, which showed the stars around them sparkling beautifully in the black space around them. As the ship turned towards something, a tan colored planet came into view as both of the Saiyans eyes locked onto it. It wasn't long before the ship started to move towards this planet, faster then it had gone through the portal.

"You idiot! What do you think you're doing?" The prince cried out, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing!" Goku stammered out, looking frantically over the controls. "It is Bulma's programming, remember? I don't have any control over this ship at all unless it is to take off from whatever planet we are going to."

"Hmpf. Damn woman. Has to do everything herself and her way," Vegeta grumbled, trying desperately not to roll his eyes. "If we are going to that planet, we might as well know if we made it or not to the other universe. If we didn't, the first thing I am going to do when we go back is blow up one of those buildings then go after that doctor that lead us here in the first place."

"I'm hungry," Goku whined, ignoring the glare of anger in his companions eyes. He also didn't seem to be worried that they were in a strange place, perhaps not even in their own universe. If they were, it might take them much longer to get back home then it did to get to their current destination.

"As much as I hate to say it, food can wait. I doubt these people can actually take the money we have," Vegeta snapped, his arms loosening some. Then he sneered. "Of course, being a couple of Super Saiyans, we can easily get things for free."

"Do what you want, Vegeta," Goku replied as the ship continued to move towards the new planet without any guidance from the two that were inside. "I won't use my powers to get food."

"Fine. I'll use mine to get what I want. You can just starve to death," He said, looking out of the window, staring at the planet as they got closer to it. Suddenly, everything seemed brighter then it had done so before.

"We better check out our powers before we do or say anything, Vegeta. We may not be able to use them for a while until our bodies get used to this universe. At least, I think we have to get used to it."

"My powers will always work, no matter where we are. Hell, we may be still in our universe for all we know."

"You don't know that yet."

"Is this a challenge?" Vegeta asked, glancing over at the other Saiyan with a light smile.

"Perhaps it is, but..." Goku stopped as the ship began to rock violently back and forth from another unknown force. "What the...."

Several more blasts hit the ship, nearly pushing it off course that had been pre-set many hours ago. The two looked at each other, wondering what was going on outside of their protection. As they were bombarded with blasts, the ship continued to hurry towards the planet in a made dash. Just as suddenly as it had begun, the blasts stopped from around them. The Saiyans held their breath and closed their eyes, the force of the planet's gravity pulling the ship steadily towards it. The ship rocked as it spiraled towards whatever they were headed to, unsure as if they would survive _this_ trip. Goku began to feel dizzy as the moments trickled by in an almost endless fashion. _It seems like the walls are about to rip off at any second,_ Goku thought worriedly as the rocking continued to move throughout the ship.

"What......is....go....ing....on.....?" Vegeta stammered out the best way that he could so that the other could still be able to understand him.

"I.....do....not....kno....w....." Goku stammered back in the same fashion. The ship moved through the many atmospheres of the planet, each rocking the ship even more then it had done so before. In a few moments time that it took for them to come from the cold space, the desert of the planet came into a much better view as the ship continued to plummet towards the dunes. Not long after coming out of the lower atmosphere, there was a big bang as the ship smacked into the ground as sand went everywhere. The metal hull kept up as it slid across the ground before stopping at a point. Inside, the two were sent forwards slightly but their seat belts pulled them back into their seats with almost the same force that had made them go forwards. Vegeta shook his head to clear his mind, looking out of the slightly cracked window to see the dunes of sand that were a part of the desert.

"Where are we now? What kind of planet is this?" The prince asked, undoing his seat belt from around his chest. He stood up, still staring outside the window like something was about to come to it and ask them if they needed help.

"I don't know, really. Remember, we are in a different universe then ours. Maybe we landed closed to a town or something where we can get information from the people there," Goku answered, doing the same as the other but he did not look out of the window. Vegeta nodded to that, in agreement for one of the few times that they were. The two Saiyan's eyes met for several moments before looking towards the door like they expected it to open up for them. It took them another moment to find the button that opened the door, opening up other things before the door lowered into a ramp and was placed at a angle. The heat of the planet rushed in, making the occupants cough several times before they walked to the door and peered out of it.

"You think that is a town or something?" Vegeta asked, pointing towards what looked like many buildings molded from the desert itself. It was several miles away, enough for them to be able to walk in the heat that was blazing from the twin suns above. Goku let a small smile come to his lips as he walked down the ramp that was the door and jumped onto the ground.

"Lets go check it out. We may be in luck after all. Hopefully, those that live there will be nice enough," He replied, looking over towards the other Saiyan as his smile turned into a goodish grin.He then turned his head back forwards and started to walk towards the town, leaving his companion behind. Vegeta watched him go, his mouth opening some. Then his eyes narrowed, his lips forming a thin line as he, too, jumped down onto the hot sand as he started to follow Goku.

Wherever they were going, he just hoped they wouldn't be stuck in it.

****

"Just how many planets are in this universe of yours?" Cold asked Siddious as he, the Sith, Frieza, and Ginyu stood outside the Mos Eisley Cantina. They had left only moments before, Siddious becoming a little too suspicious about a tall, furry being that he had called a Wookie. He had ordered them out without much explaining to his actions, allowing them to think of things that he had no control over. He would have rather had them wonder about his actions then ask him what he was trying to do with them at this point.

"Perhaps thousands that are out there with only a few hundred that have actually been charted by explorers. There are countless others which have yet to be discovered," Siddious informed him, his hands clasped firmly in front of him. He lightly turned his head to his new companion, not letting his hood move from his face as he kept it in the shadows. "There are many that are in the Republic, yet many still refuse to be in it."

"Good," Cold said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The more that there are, the better we are."

"How long will it take for someone to actually _find_ all of these other planets if there are so many that have not been charted or discovered?" Ginyu asked, his eyes drifting over the many people that were wandering the street. It wasn't uncommon for many different species to be on one planet at any given time, so the three strangers from a different universe did not stand out as much as they had thought.

"That is a question which only can be answered in time. There aren't a lot of people that are willing to risk their lives to find different planets that haven't been landed on. That is not saying that there _aren't_ those that have done it or want to; there are more people that just want to rather then those that actually go out and do it," The Sith said, slowly turning his gaze towards Frieza with hidden boredom in his eyes. The smaller being wasn't listening to the conversation that was taking place between the other three, ignoring them like they weren't even there. Instead, he was staring off towards the edge of the town, his hands balled slightly. "Something wrong, Frieza?"

"Yes, there is. Something is here. Even though I can't really pinpoint it, there is a certain feeling that there is a certain familiar presence here," Frieza answered in a deadpan tone. Cold looked in the direction in which his son was looking, blinking his eyes. The bored expression that had been on his face earlier vanished as an unreadable expression entered. "I know that there is something there. What it is, I can not say."

"Care to find out what it is, son?" He asked, a smile slowly appearing on his lips. Frieza was just about to push off from the ground just as the Sith began to speak, making him stop before he had the chance to.

"Don't bother flying anywhere just yet. You'll just bring unwanted attention to yourselves," Darth Siddious said icily. "I rather you blend in with everyone else then just fly off where everyone can see you. It is better that way."

"Why?" Frieza demanded, keeping his three-toed feet on the ground. He glared in the direction of the one that had just spoke, hardly keeping the impatient look from the other three.

"In this universe, you must learn that no one flies on their own will like you three do. We have to use some kind of ship in order to get to where we are going that is faster then walking," Siddious answered. "There are still a few things you must learn in _this_ universe before you can do anything."

"So, we have to walk to where Frieza needs to go?" Ginyu asked, a small whine appearing in his words.

"Yes. Unless you three want to be shot down by a passing bounty hunter, fly away. I am warning you now," The Sith replied, a hidden smirk on his lips.

"By the time that we get to that place, they will be gone," He pointed out easily.

"Not if it comes to us first," Frieza told him, looking in the direction of the border. "I have a feeling I know this familiar thing. Whatever it is, it will come straight for us. An easy target."

"Well, then. Let's wait to see what is going to happen then."

****

To Be Continued


	4. Chapter 3

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Three

The planet of Naboo was farther away from Tatooine, which was more beautiful and luscious then the desert planet by far. Wondrous cities sat near sparkling waters that was filled with creatures of the deep, reaching the bottom as easy as it was to get lost in the wonder in the gentle breeze that moved through the vast meadows. Trees of all kinds sprouted up in all places, reaching up towards the heavens that looked down on such a unspoiled place.

The cities themselves were works of arts, from the statues in the squares to the simple designs on windows to the paved streets below. No detail was left unnoticed from under the cautious rays of the sun, which towered over the planet in the coldness of space. Anything that could be turned into something just as great as the wilderness outside the cities and towns was placed in various spots, highlighting those area's with almost the same exact beauty that was unheard of any where else in the galaxy.

The people of Naboo had their own ways of bottling the beauty that was around them. From the gowns to the robes that garnished the people, everything was made perfect like it was made for royalty. All citizens wore the simplest garments of silk, some made especially for one person out of thousands. There was nothing that was made twice, always different in some way that could not be done anywhere else off world. Every article of clothing was made to fit the suitor, no matter what status that person held or was about to walk into.

Yet, there was no time for standing at the window, looking out at the horizon today as Amidala rushed down one of the many splendid hallways of the Theed castle, dressed in the same peasant clothing that she had worn when she first ventured onto the sands of Tatooine. Her handmaiden and decoy, Sabe, was walking quickly next to her, dressed in the queen's robes and white face paint. Not too far behind the two women, Captain Panaka was trying to keep up with them, looking slightly distraught about something that he could not control.

"Your Majesty, I don't think that it is a wise idea to travel that far from Naboo. There is no telling what could go wrong. What if something happens to you?" Panaka cried out as he attempted to keep in stride with them. They rushed past several of the castle's guards, who turned their heads around to see what was making the three of them going so fast. "How is the handmaiden going to rule in your absence? Sabe needs your help to do it. She can't do it alone."

"First off, Captain, I can handle myself. I've done it plenty of times in the past," Amidala snapped out, stopping as she turned around to face him. Panaka had to stop much more quicker so that he would not collide with her, Sabe slowing down before she got too far away from them. "There isn't really anything that can stop me from finding out what is going on with the Jedi. Secondly, Sabe has been my decoy since I had been elected as Queen. I know she can do it with or without my help, and I am not worried if she messes up or not. Thirdly, she won't actually be alone. Boss Nass will be here with her, guiding her through the times that she may need help. He knows, like you and me, that Sabe is not me."

"Do you think that he will stay up here all this time and not have his own problems to tend to?" The Captain retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't forget, he has his own people to worry about, even if it is miles underwater."

"I did him a favor a few months ago that he promised me that he would repay. Now it is his turn to help me. Besides, I won't be long enough for any trouble to ensue. I just rather know what is going on by going myself rather then just sit here and wait for everything to come back to me."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just send a message to the Jedi Council for the information?"

The queen shrugged at that question, brushing it off just as easily as it had been spoken. "I've tried that already with no such luck. I am sure that the few who know what the Jedi know want to find out on their own as well."

"Don't be surprised," Panaka muttered, placing his arms at his side before straightening his back. "If this backfires, then you will be to blame. I don't want something else to fall onto my shoulders or onto my desk.."

"Very well then," The queen said, smiling just a bit before continuing to walk on with Sabe at her side. Panaka continued to follow her through the castle to make sure that both women got to where they were going without any other person inside bothering them.

"How do you know the two are on Tatooine? Didn't they say that they had to go back to Coruscant because the Council had to talk to them about something?" Panaka asked several minutes later, finally able to walk on the other side of Amidala.

"Yes, they did mention that fact but Obi-Wan had promised to Anakin that they would be able to briefly stop on Tatooine to see his mother. Although, I highly doubt that is the real reason that they are going to the planet," She explained, turning her head over towards him. "It doesn't take a Jedi to realize that something isn't right there."

"Nothing ever is," Sabe muttered softly as the three continued to walk through the castle, a silence moving over them. Whatever the Jedi was hiding, Amidala was sure to find out what it was.

****

Just as Naboo was beautiful, Tatooine was hot. The blazing twin suns bore down upon the desert sand as Goku and Vegeta walked through the first blocks of the town. They had passed several stalls of foreign fruits, clothing, mechanics, and other things without trying to look at the merchants that sat behind them. They had already passed too many different species to count, looking amazed that few were actually paying attention to the heat around them. Each figured the creatures had gotten used to such a climate already, but it still did not make them wonder about it.

"It is hot out here. How can anyone live in such a hot place?" Goku moaned from next to Vegeta as they continued to walk. Both had been met with angry looks from the towns people, but were generally ignored by everyone else. Some of these folk were possibly drunk, having just stumbled out of the third cantina that they had passed.

"Stop your complaining about this. At least we haven't been backed into a corner yet. I just want to find what we need and get the hell out of here without any more word," Vegeta growled, his arms still crossed over his chest. Both continued to walk side by side, looking in different directions to take in what they needed to take in. Goku sighed, looking more bored then he had ever before. _There isn't that much to look at around here. Then again, I don't know how long we've actually been here,_ The Saiyan thought bitterly as he turned his attention forwards.

"I wonder if any of the....." Goku started before his voice trailed off and his legs locking into where he was standing. He stood, his eyes wide with surprised as he looked around quickly like he was trying to find something. Vegeta stopped not too far from him, looking back at him with a look.

"What's wrong? Need to go to the bathroom or something? The prince taunted, a teasing smile appearing on his lips.

"No, it's not that. Don't you feel that power level? It isn't perfect, but it is something," Goku stammered out, not only surprise in his voice but anger, fear, and wonder mixing in with it. Vegeta turned his attention to where the other was looking, watching the crowd for several moments before his smile faded from his lips and a horrified expression coming onto his face.

"It can't be! He was killed twice, wasn't he?" Vegeta cried out, his arms dropping to his side. "How can that be when we saw him get cut into small pieces?"

"I don't know, and I don't like it," Goku answered, his face becoming serious. Fury came to Vegeta's as he turned his head over his shoulder to look at his companions. "It might just be something we are experiencing in this universe. I wouldn't be worried about it if this was any other time."

"No, you're wrong. I know that level from any where. It is him, and I am not going to sit around to see if it is an illusion or not." Without knowing if the other said anything or not, Vegeta took off running despite the heat that swelled around him. Goku stared after him as the Saiyan prince parted through the crowds, wondering if he, too, should go check it out.

In the end, his curiosity got the better of him as he followed suit, ignoring the stares that he received at his back.

****

Space was cold and unforgiving as it was vast and plentiful. Moons, stars, and planets were bunched into clusters that formed the galaxies and systems of the universe, some many light-years away. It wasn't hard to get from planet to planet, but would take a while to get to a destination no matter how good the hyper drive of the ship was. The faster a ship could get to the next place, the shorter the trip would be.

However, flying still wasn't one of Obi-Wan's favorite things to do as he walked through the sliding metal doors that emptied him into the sleeping chambers that he shared with his Padawan. Every Master and Padawan had to do this, not matter how much the duo would come to hate it. This was part of the Teacher-Student bond that many would come to eventually tolerate in the years to come with many different Padawans.

"Anakin, we are making the descent onto Tatooine now. It is time to wake up," Obi-Wan whispered as he gently pushed the young boy that slept on one of the two beds in the room. Anakin yawned, his blue eyes fluttering open as they looked up at him tiredly.

"How did we get here so quickly?" He asked tiredly, although there was some anger in that voice of his. The Padawan sat up unwillingly in his bed with several more shakes from his Master.

"I think the Council ordered it to be fixed so that the hyper drive is able to go faster then it did before. Trust me on that one," The older Jedi answered, a small smile grazing upon his lips. He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands folded neatly on top of his lap. "I know that you want to see your mother during this trip, but also you need to realize that we are here on Jedi business and that business we have to do first. Understand?"

"I guess," Anakin said with some sadness in his voice as he threw the light blanket off of his lower body. He swung his legs to the edge of the bed, gently reaching them to the ground. It had been a long trip indeed, one that he wished that would be over with so that he could see his mother once again. Obi-Wan did not know how the boy felt, although Qui-Gon had been the closest thing he had to a father. Those that were to become Jedi had to be taken away from their families at infantecy so that no bonds between them would be made. Since Anakin had been taken so late in life as it was, the bond between mother and son had already been established, which hindered some of his training as it was. _There is nothing any Jedi can do about it except for Anakin himself, _Obi-Wan thought as he, too, stood up from the bed. _If he wants to walk down the path of the Jedi, he has to leave his mother behind for good._

"Get ready, okay?" Obi-Wan instructed as Anakin stood there, gazing up at his Master in mock interest before walking towards the pile in which his Padawan robes were laying in. Neither one knew what was waiting for them in the small town that laid right outside the ship.

****

To Be Continued


	5. Chapter 4

  


****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Four

The twin suns of Tatooine bore down upon the two Jedi and the lone Padawan, each ignoring it in their own way. Anakin was used to the blazing heat of the desert, having spent nine of his years living upon it with his mother in the clay huts. The hopes of seeing her once again dwindled as they stood at the edge of Mos Eisley, their arms at their sides as they stared into the township without emotion. The only comfort from the heat was a light wind that swirled around them, picking up several clumps of sand as it did. 

"Why aren't we in space, checking where the portal is?" Anakin asked without thinking, his eyes looking dully into the town. "We should be worrying about that then being here."

"We will in time, young Padawan. First we have to see if anyone has gone through it yet, either from this side or from the other end of it," Obi-Wan said briskly as he turned his head over towards Ki-Adi. "I can sense several powerful things on this planet, yet it is almost too small to pick up. Whatever it is, they are close."

"As do I, whatever 'they' is," Ki-Adi answered, returning Obi-Wan's gaze. "I can recognize one of them although different from what it should be, but the others do not seem like they are from this universe. Or their life in the Force is coming to a end."

"Maybe they _are_ from _another_ universe if you don't know what they are," Anakin snapped, looking hesitant to stand there further. The two Jedi Masters looked at each other for a moment before gazing down at the young boy. Although his tone would issue a warning from his Master, both knowing that something or someone was not supposed to be here.

"You know, Padawan. That could be...." Obi-Wan started before the ground shook below them, a shrieking boom sounded throughout the small desert town. Screams came from somewhere inside Mos Eisley, the three Jedi turning their heads forwards as a cloud of sand and dust rose up to the sky from the point of the sound. "What the hell was that?"

"That may just very well be what we are looking for," Ki-Adi said, a smile appearing on his lips. Anakin's dreary mood lifted up some, his own soft but sad smile appearing upon his lips as he nodded along with Obi-Wan. Together, with the Jedi Masters lightsabres in hand, they started towards the center of Mos Eisley.

****

"I say that was short," Cold mused in a haughty manner, his arms loosely crossed over his chest and a bored look on his face. Frieza stood next to him, Ginyu and Siddious standing behind them. Ginyu looked half as bored as Cold did while there was an unknown expression upon Siddious face. Frieza smiled coolly as he lowered his arm, the smoke clearing from in front of him. There was a hint of anger in his eyes that showed just who had the misfortune of appearing in front of them.

"Yes, that was....huh?" He stuttered, the wind moving the rest of the dust and sand from his view. Two familiar figure's stood in front of him, their arms crossed over their chest. Both were staring daggers at the small group in front of them, their lips forming tight lines.

"Long time, no see Frieza," Goku said sourly, his eyes half narrowed. Frieza fought to control his anger that was welling up inside of him, his eyes darting from one to the other.

"I'd never thought I'd see you again myself. Alive, that is," Vegeta said, smirking. "Always thought we'd meet up in hell or some other place. Guess I was wrong. Of course, this could be hell as well. Can't say for sure just yet."

"You...." Frieza growled, the anger that was boiling inside of him flashing in his ruby eyes. He clinched his fists together tightly, not even bothering to calm down. He, like the others, ignored those that were now staring at them, their eyes wide and their mouths open. All had seen some form of battle before, but not like this. Then, Frieza smiled. "I shouldn't be worried. What can you do to me?"

"Lots," The Saiyan prince replied, dropping his arms down to his sides. The air around him started to cackle with static, the sand beginning to rise up from the ground. Goku did not say nor do anything as he tilted his head forwards, a light smile coming upon his lips. Suddenly, a flash of light swirled around the other Saiyan, his hair swiftly turning into a blonde color. His cyan eyes flashed under yellow eyebrows as he stared at the creature that began to back up in pure horror.

"Not...you too...." Frieza hissed out, fear seeping into his eyes, replacing what had been hatred. Cold and Ginyu both stared at what had just happened before them, Siddious muttering things under his breath. Those that had been watching were now starting to back up or move away, having seen more then enough of this battle. Vegeta nodded at Frieza's words, raising one arm up, his palm open and towards the one that he hated more then Goku.

"Have a nice day," He said, shooting a single beam of energy out of his opened hand. At least tried to do so. Nothing happened when he had ordered his attacking energy to be released into the open, trying over and over again as the group in front of him started to laugh. The Saiyan narrowed his eyes, anger flashing in them as he swore under his breath.

"Didn't I tell you that our powers don't work yet?" Goku grumbled, the smirk disappearing from his lips and a more serious tone set in. Vegeta looked at him questionably like he had just heard those words before, lowering his arm as he did. He slowly powered down from his current state, looking more pissed then he did confused. "We have the ability to go Super Saiyan, but can not use our powers just yet. You didn't listen to me back there."

"You are in my universe now. Get used to it or you will find yourselves in a position in which you may not like," Siddious said without emotion, walking past Ginyu, Cold, and Frieza. He stopped a foot in front of the Saiyan duo, his unseen eyes looking over them uneasily. He had heard enough about these two creatures from Frieza to wonder what exactly was so special about them. The Sith knew that there were shape-shifting species in the universe, but none could raise enough to have more Force flowing into them. It wasn't exactly like the Force, but another level altogether. Whatever it was, he was going to learn more about it even if he had to kill all those around him currently to do so. "You can not use your powers for a while. How long, I don't know. From what I have gathered from these people, it is better that you don't have any right now."

"Oh? And why exactly is that a good thing?" Vegeta snapped angrily. Goku remained quiet for the time being, allowing his fellow Saiyan to vent the anger that he so long wanted to get out of his system.

"You'll see in due time, my friend. There is, however, one thing that you can do for us."

"And what is that, _friend_?"

"Die," Cold growled, uncrossing his arms. He put up a arm just like Vegeta had done so just a few moments ago, a small orb of light starting to form in the middle of his palm. Before this orb of energy could grow any bigger, three figures rushed into the middle of the fray with blinding speed. Two held light swords in their hands, their eyes looking between the two quarreling groups. The third was a young boy who stood behind the human-looking figure, looking past him and into the group of strange creatures. Siddious let out a small growl, looking like he was about to jump out of his cloak and to those who dared to disrupt them. The others looked more confused then angry, wondering who these people were.

"Who are you?" Ginyu asked after being mostly quiet through the activity that had just been going on.

"Your worst nightmare," The young boy answered with satisfaction. One rolled his eyes as he glared towards Siddious.

"Well, we were right about one thing. There is another Sith out here," The humanoid creature said, narrowing his eyes. Siddious looked towards him, a amused expression appearing on his face.

"Ah, the dear Council. How are they today? Actually sending one of it's own out into battle?" He asked in a unemotional tone as he glanced over towards the other two. "I see they have also sent the new Master and his Padawan. Tell me, how does it feel to know that your own Master was killed right in front of your eyes?"

"At least Qui-Gon wasn't chopped in half and sent down into the core of the Theed Palace," The older one said, gripping the metal hilt tighter then he had done so before. Siddious let out another growl, keeping his anger down the best way that he knew how. The rest of the group looked from one side to another and then back again, bewildered looks on their faces.

"Would someone tell me what is going on here before I do it myself?" Vegeta asked bitterly.

"I will. Run. Run as fast as you can and don't look back," The young Master snapped, looking in the direction of the Saiyans.

"I do not run from battle, damn it. I do not take orders from anyone."

"Do you want to live Vegeta to do battle another day _with_ your powers?" Goku asked, backing up. The Saiyan prince did not answer him with words, but with a nod that he clearly understood. Both started to back up even further before they turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

"Now that you've clearly taken away our targets, would you like to introduce yourself before we kill you?" Cold demanded, clearly angered that their original target had disappeared from their sight.

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker," The Master said with a small bow.

"I am Ki-Adi Mundi," The other answered, looking coolly towards the Sith. "Care to tell us who you are since we have introduced ourselves?"

"That is no concern to you right now. Shall we show you why we came here?" Frieza asked as he took a step towards the others.

"In time you shall. However, that is not today," Obi-Wan, a smile appearing on his lips. Before anyone else could make a move towards them, the three sped off just as quickly as they appeared, leaving the remaining group behind in the dust. Frieza coughed the dust, the others looking bewildered at what had just happened.

"How can they do that?" Ginyu asked, placing his arms in front of his face to shield his eyes from the disappearing dust.

"Force Running. Jedi can learn that when they are with their Masters and takes roughly two to make it happen," Siddious replied, placing his hands in front of his body as he turned towards his new companions. "We will have to wait to get the Saiyans. Everything is going about as I expected."

"What do you mean we have to wait?" Frieza shouted, not caring who heard him. Cold had long since put his arms by his side, looking in the direction in which the strangers had disappeared into. Ginyu coughed the last particle of dust out, lowering his arms to his side as well. "I don't care what you expected. I just want revenge."

"As do I, but sometimes revenge needs to wait," Siddious said in a low voice, walking in between the three of them without further word. In his own mind, he knew that he didn't expect the Jedi to turn up as soon as they had done today. As long as the others did not know that, he was clear of anything that he was thrown at.

As long as nothing else went wrong, then things would go more smoothly then they had done already.

****

"I'm going back there," Vegeta growled under his breath as he and Goku stopped in front of one of the shops of Mos Eisley. Goku sighed, shaking his head at those words. He was about to say something when a gust of wind flew at them, causing both to squint in the dust that followed.

"No, you are not doing any of the sort. There is no telling what they can do," A voice said from behind them. The two Saiyans turned around to see the three that had interrupted the fight several minutes before. Vegeta growled something under his breath, cursing the fact that he could not use his powers just yet.

"Who are you?" Goku asked, tilting his head to the side as he had not heard the introductions before.

"I am Ki-Adi Mundi," One said as he deactivated the sword that he held in his hand and clipped the metal hilt to his belt around his waist.

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is Anakin Skywalker," The other said, nodding as he did the same thing. He then narrowed his eyes at the two, a slight flash of anger in them before disappearing. "May I ask who you are and what you are doing in this universe?"

"I am Goku and this is Vegeta. We are Saiyans from a planet called Earth," Goku informed them, a smile coming to his lips. "A friend of mine wanted to see where the portal went to and sent us through it. I thought we were the only ones that went through it but I guess Frieza was the first to se this universe.

"Frieza?" The one called Ki-Adi echoed with interest. "Was he one of those that were back there?"

"Yes. He is a Icejin Changeling that had most of _our_ universe in his grip. But, he was supposedly killed by _him_ while he was on another planet called Namek," Vegeta put in, nodding over towards the other Saiyan.

"So, you thought he died when on that other planet?" The boy called Anakin asked.

"At first we did, but that was about five years ago. The other one that was with him, Captain Ginyu, was supposed to have changed into a frog while on Namek. But, something must have happened. Cold is alive as well," Vegeta hissed, looking over at Goku. "Thought Trunks killed them both the second time around."

"He did, didn't he?" Goku wondered, looking back. "I don't know since I wasn't there at the time."

"Would someone please tell us what is going on here?" Obi-Wan snapped, turning his head from one Saiyan to the other.

"We will find out in due time, Obi-Wan," Ki-Adi said gently with a smile. Obi-Wan sighed, looking from one person to another before looking down at the ground. This was more then they had thought had happened, becoming more of a project then he had hoped it would.

They had a lot to learn in a short amount of time.

****

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SENT MY HUSBAND THROUGH THAT THING!?!??!" Chi Chi screamed out, anger flashing in her eyes as she stood outside the Capsule Corp. building in which Dr. Briefs was now backing into from it's open door. He had a nervous fear in his eyes, slightly trembling from it. "HOW DO YOU KNOW HE SURVIVED THE TRIP THERE? WHAT IF HE CAN'T COME BACK? WHAT IF MY SON WANTS TO GO AFTER HIM? WHAT THEN?"

"Chi Chi, calm down some. Knowing the way Goku and Vegeta are, they will be alright and won't be gone long. Besides, I don't think he would want Gohan to be in that universe," Dr. Briefs said nervously, laughing lightly. "To make you feel better, I could always send a few others after them."

"Yes, do. I don't want my husband to stay in there any longer. Get him out," Chi Chi growled out, turning around quickly and smoothly. She then stomped off of the Capsule Corp. grounds, fuming with more anger then she did when she came upon the building complex. Dr. Briefs sighed as his daughter peeked out from behind him to see if the other woman had really left.

"I better called up Yamcha to see if he wants to go," Bulma said with a half smile. "Perhaps he could find Tien and Chaotzu as well. Piccolo if possible."

"Yes. Get Krillin as well. I don't know what is going on, but something is not right," He replied as he stared after Chi Chi. "I don't know what the time frame is in this other universe, but no matter what it is, they've been gone too long. We need to send someone in after them."

Bulma nodded her agreement, slowly turning around to enter the building that was once behind her. She had a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach that this was only the beginning of things.

****

To Be Continued


	6. Chapter 5

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Five:

The trip from Naboo to Tatooine hadn't been eventful to say the least, long, boring, and with little to do. This was unlike the last trip that had been taken to the desert planet, which had been during the times of the Trade Federation's blockade. That was several years prior, very little remnants of that period still existing in the space that surrounded the backwater planet except for what was left of the battle droid control center and a few other drifting debris.

"We are almost to Tatooine, my Queen. We will be arriving to the planet within the next two hours," Captain Panaka reported as he stood before Amidala, a soft, yet somewhat forced, smile playing on his lips. The Queen of Naboo sat on the throne that had been created for journeys such as this, looking ready to get off of the ship and onto the sand. She held her hands and arms on the arm rests, her brown eyes blank of emotion like she had been taught to do. Around her stood the remaining handmaidens she had not ordered to stay on Naboo, all wearing the same orange-like colored robes and looking just as emotionless as their leader was.

"Very well. I would have expected to have been there sooner then this, but the problems with the ship couldn't be helped," Amidala replied, stiffening a sigh. _And it probably wasn't a malfunction in the first place that caused the delay,_ She added to herself, biting her lower lip. At times like this, she hated waiting for things to get done so that she could go onto the next batch of things she had waiting to do and finish. It took her this long to get this far and now it seemed like everything was trying to force her back to her home world. Even though the pilots and those that were around were at the present moment were some of the best that Naboo had to offer, the queen had become more impatient with them then she had before and would in the years to come. _The things that I have to live with,_ She thought bitterly as she looked away from Panaka. "Make sure that the pilots go to the right planet this time. There are a few that I do not trust with something like this, no matter how trained they seem to be."

"Yes, Amidala," The captain answered with a smirk, bowing slightly to her. He knew very well how the queen felt with those words, backing up as he turned around and straightened his back. He walked out of the door as it opened for him, leaving the queen alone with her handmaidens. Amidala turned her eyes to the now closing door, wishing she could just escape her life just as easily as Panaka had walked out of that doorway. Just to get away from it for one day without worrying about things trying to take over the planet or people going hungry. Yet, she could do it where other queens and kings had probably failed. She had done it for so many years now, but her term was coming to a end. 

"Your Majesty, if I could say?" Eirtae spoke up from next to the queen, her hooded head turning towards the woman that sat next to her.

"Yes Eirtae?" Amidala said carefully, eyeing the handmaiden thoughtfully.

"Why do you want to go to Tatooine? It is dangerous, although essential to the galaxy."

"I want to see Anakin again. His Jedi training leaves very little time to see old friends, and I wouldn't mind seeing Obi-Wan once again."

"Is that the real reason why you want to go or just one that you just want to say?" The handmaiden asked with a smile playing upon her lips. Amidala sighed, turning her full gaze upon her with her own full smile on her lips.

"You have been around me too long to know more then you should," The queen said, laughing shortly. "Yes, it is a reason that I might explain to his mother, although she probably would not have seen him before we did. However, there are some things that I want the Jedi to explain to me without having to wait any longer then I have to."

"Sometimes Jedi have their reasons to why they have to be in secret," Eirtae said, lowering her gaze. "But, even so, their tales are often known before they know it."

"Right you are," Amidala said and, for the first time since Obi-Wan and Anakin left Naboo, she felt a twinge of happiness move through her.

Perhaps the last few hours wouldn't be so bad after all.

****

"Explain all of this to me again, would you? It still doesn't make sense," Obi-Wan asked with impatience in his voice. The small band of mismatched people had walked to the edge of the Tatooine township, Vegeta and Goku explaining the best that they could to the Jedi about their own universe that was situated on the other side of the portal. Yet, their new friends did not grasp some of the concepts that were foreign to them. _With the look that Vegeta is giving Obi-Wan and his rising anger, it is a good thing that our powers don't work here yet, _ Goku thought bitterly as they stopped at the end of the town and the beginning of the shifting sand that drifted along the rest of the planet.

"I will explain this to you one last time, you idiot and you had better pay closer attention then you have done so before," Vegeta growled, crossing his arms over his chest. "We come from a planet called Earth which is on the other side of the portal. There are many different kinds of creatures living there, but they are not like the ones that you seen on the streets of this planet. On Earth, there is seven balls that are called the Dragon Balls which you have to collect so that you can make two wishes. The down side to this is that it takes a Earth's year for them to regain their power back. Do you understand this or do I have to explain this all over again?"

"I believe so," Obi-Wan replied without emotion, one of his eyes twitching slightly. "Is the Earth the only one that has what you call 'Dragon Balls'?"

"Nope," Goku put in. "There is another planet that we can go to called New Namek. It's kind of hard to explain that right now."

"I see. Interesting," The Jedi said dryly without the slightest hint of interest in his voice.

"Why are you two here?" Anakin asked as he stood next to Obi-Wan, looking more bored then interested. Vegeta glared down at the young boy, who didn't seem to notice the flashes of anger in the Saiyan's eyes.

"Don't ask me, boy. As this one here. He is the one who wanted to come in the first place," The prince snapped, turning his back to the others. He snorted angrily, narrowing his eyes as he did. He knew, just like his companion did, that he _had_ wanted to come, but did not want to bring up that in this conversation. Goku shook his head at his fellow Saiyan, sighing.

"I felt someone's power through the portal. I didn't know who it was or what it was, but it felt familiar to me. I also wanted to see what was on the other side of the portal. So far, it has been, shall we say, interesting," Goku said in a almost cheerful way. When he got three confused looks, he grinning sheepishly. "I suppose I didn't explain myself. See, in our universe, we can sense someone's power level and their life force, which is called Ki. As the person's power levels goes down, so does that person's Ki. If we can't feel it any longer, then that person has died."

"Isn't that a lot like the Force, Master?" Anakin asked, looking up towards the older Jedi. Obi-Wan blinked his eyes before turning them towards Ki-Adi. The other Jedi shrugged, smiling at that question.

"I think it is, Anakin, in a way. Both are the life force of something, no matter how small it is. If that force goes down to nothing, so does that that person. But, both could be different in a sense that we don't know of. What, I don't know. That is probably why they can't use their powers here just yet. It probably works in the same way in their universe with us if we were to go in theirs," Ki-Adi answered for Obi-Wan.

"We told you what we could about our universe. Tell us about yours. Now!" Vegeta demanded, not turning around to look at his new companions.

"If you want to know, fine. In this universe, Jedi are the protectors of the Force and the guardians of the galaxy. We are Force Fused, meaning we can feel certain things through it. This galaxy has been peaceful in most parts or, as peaceful as they can get. The Hutts, which are a oversized slug-like race, control this sector, which is known as the Outer Rim. The Trade Federation had controlled some of the planets until their downfall three years ago," Obi-Wan informed them in one breath. "We Jedi govern ourselves through the Jedi Council, which looks over our actions. Ki-Adi here is one of it's members."

"This Council is power, isn't it? If it is, then take us there," Vegeta said, turning his head around to look at them with his coal black eyes.

"Wait, Vegeta. We can't beat Frieza and his gang alone even if we can go Super Saiyan," Goku intervened, giving the other a quick look.

"You did it the first time around. Why shouldn't this situation be any different now?"

"Think about it, Vegeta. Even though we are Super Saiyans, I don't think we have enough power right now to defeat Frieza alone. Beating himself took a while to do so and a lot of energy. Even then I had trouble defeating him. Besides, he isn't alone, you know, and I wouldn't go pass them to try to recruit any more of their friends or others from this universe."

"I still don't see what you are getting at."

"Look, we can't use our powers yet, right? It takes a few days to get our powers inside this universe. If we bring some of the others back here, then we all can be ready at the same time."

"How are we going to get back? Our ship is probably covered by sand by now and we couldn't fit more then another person inside," Vegeta snapped, anger flashing in his eyes once again. Goku looked at the Jedi with puppy dog eyes, hoping that they would be able to help them in this situation. Ki-Adi raised an eyebrow as he looked towards his fellow Jedi. Obi-Wan looked back at him, an amused expression coming upon his face.

"Why not? I mean, what is the worst that could happen?" Obi-Wan asked, shrugging.

****

"Get them back here! I want to finish this NOW!" Frieza shouted out, his anger boiling inside him like it had never done so before. The small group still stood outside the cantina, as if waiting for the two Saiyans to merrily stroll back to them, asking politely to finish them off. The heat from the twin Tatooine suns bore down on them, seemingly waiting for them to collapse into the hot sand.

"Calm down, Frieza. We will get them soon enough," Cold said in a deeply bored voice as he crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced over at Siddious, who stared straight ahead from underneath his hood, his hands clasped in front of him. "Where did they go?"

"The most obvious place" Courscant. They are going to the Jedi Council with the new information they have received. That, I know they are doing without much thought," Siddious answered, the Tatooine wind swirling around his black robes. "But, I don't think they are going straight to the Jedi Temple nor do I think that they are going to that planet. They could be going back to your universe to see if they can't get anyone else to join them."

"Then let them. They can't be in our way if they are going in that direction," Ginyu pointed out, gazing lightly over the street of Mos Eisley. "What trouble can they cause by doing that?"

"Knowing the Jedi, enough to cause us more trouble then they are worth. But, you are right. They will be out of our reach for now," The Sith replied, a hidden smirk on his lips. He unclasped his hands as he stood there, as if waiting for something to tell him otherwise. "The universe will be ours in a matter of time. There are more important things to do then waiting for them."

No one spoke as the Sith fell silent first, ignoring the gazes he was getting from more then just those that were not of this universe. Thoughts swirled in his mind, new ideas clashing with old ones. But, no matter what he came up with, all leads would eventually point towards the Jedi and them alone. Even so, the thought of finally being able to outdo the Jedi was the sweetest one of them all.

****

Somehow, news traveled faster then anything when you knew so many people in the world that lived in so many different places to boot. Even so, one would think that there was little information passing through phone lines and computer screens that even the youngest person had to ask many people for details until he knew for sure that the information he received was correct. Despite this, three people had clamored up to the Capsule Corp.'s Main building and they hadn't been the only ones to do so. Chi-Chi had been the first, demanding in half anger, half worry about where her husband had run off to and had gotten little details from a nearly laughing Bulma. She had dragged her son, Gohan, with her, who looked disappointed in the fact that he hadn't been able to go with his father on a trip into space. That had been at least an hour ago, now Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha were standing there, looking just as disappointed as the young boy had been.

"What do you mean Goku went through a portal?" Krillin demanded, looking directly at Dr. Briefs, who stood in front of him.

"There is a portal right about this planet that leads to somewhere that I don't know yet. Both he and Vegeta went through it to see what they could find, but that was several hours ago. I don't know what is on the other side of it, but I need someone else to go through it to retrieve them. They have gone well over their limit that I have given them," He replied, looking hassled at the thought of explaining yet again to someone about the whereabouts of the two Saiyans and he knew that these three wouldn't be the last he would have to explain it to either.

"I say lets do it," Yamcha replied from behind Krillin, a hint of joy in his voice. 

"Are you sure you don't know where the portal leads? It could lead us to another side of the universe and not to where they are," Tien pointed out, who stood next to Yamcha. The others did not answer nor did they say anything as they looked at each other. The only noise around them was the birds that were chirping in the trees and the cars that were going pass them.

Dr. Briefs seemed to be in a thoughtful stance as he looked up at the sky and away from the three of them. He didn't know how exactly to send the three of them to and through the portal since the Saiyans had take the last usable ship as it would take up to several weeks just to fix up another one that could fit more then two people at a time. _Maybe, by some miracle, something _good_ will happen so that I won't get another call about where Goku and Vegeta are,_ He though bitterly as he sighed and turned his attention back to the others.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Yamcha demanded, breaking the silence that had been between the four of them.

"There is a slight problem with me being able to send you into the portal, Yamcha. It seems that there are no more......." Dr. Briefs started before he was interrupted by Krillin.

"Hey, what is that coming down here?" Krillin asked, pointing upwards. Everyone shifted their attention to the light blue sky, blinking their eyes as they looked in the direction where their friend was pointing to. A small light was coming towards them, twinkling as it came into the lower atmosphere of Earth. The group stared at it for a moment before it landed several miles away, far enough where it was not near any civilization in which people would be flocking towards it instantly. Tien tilted his head slightly to the side, a wondering yet worried look crossing his face.

"What was that?" He breathed out, saying the words that everyone else was thinking.

"I don't know, Tien. Let's go check it out," Yamcha said, lifting himself into the air. Krillin and Tien nodded together, doing the same before the three of them flew off in the direction in which they saw the light coming down. Dr. Briefs watched them go until he couldn't see them any longer, sighing once again.

"I just hope it is Goku and Vegeta returning and nothing else that we have to worry about," He said to himself, shaking his head as he stared off in that direction. Whatever it was, there was nothing that he could do about it except to wait.

****

To Be Continued


	7. Chapter 6

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Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those that own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Six:

It hadn't been a great landing to begin with, but it was surely one of them that those that were inside were not likely to forget any time soon. This was also not to say that it had been a horrible landing either; one that would have not made the ship become something that resembled a pile of junk that was surely to be found floating around aimlessly in space. Of course, there were bound to be some kind of repairs that would be needed to be done to the ship, hopefully they were minor in contrast to what would have been.

"Great. I didn't expect the ship to land on the ground that hard when we came out of the atmosphere. This is one of the reasons why I _don't_ like flying," Obi-Wan grumbled half to himself, half to the other occupant of the cockpit as he pushed his body off of the controls of the ship, his head spinning from the landing. Next to him sat Ki-Adi, who had to do nearly the same thing but had to rub his domed head where he had hit it on the ceiling above him. "Hopefully we didn't leave any permanent damage to the ship or the ground beneath us. That would be something if we couldn't get back to the other side."

"Well, at least we made it through the portal okay, or as good as we can get in any sense," The other Jedi answered calmly, turning his chair around so that he faced his companion fully. The other nodded as he stood up, stretching to get all the kinks out of his back that had been the result of the landing. "I wonder how the other's handled your landing, Obi-Wan. It wasn't as terrible as the one that you did on Alderaan, though, but it wasn't as good as if you were back......."

"I AM NEVER LETTING A DAMN HUMAN PILOT A SHIP AGAIN!" Vegeta's angry voice echoed through the ship as Ki-Adi stood up slowly as well, not able to finish his train of thought that he wanted to say. The two looked at each other, trying not to laugh although they had no actual idea as to what kind of power the Saiyan possessed nor knew the means that he could use this power.

"That answer your question, Ki-Adi?" Obi-Wan asked jokingly as they heard the prince stomp towards the cockpit of the ship with more anger then they thought he had, some of the metal inside the room rattling some. The door opened as a very pissed off Saiyan entered, seething with what looked like more then just anger.

"You are now in MY universe, which means that I CAN use my powers here instead of waiting for them to return," Vegeta growled out, coming far enough into the room as the door closed behind him. Obi-Wan lifted an eyebrow at this entrance, crossing his arms over his chest as if to challenge the Saiyan. "That a challenge, human, or a death wish?"

"It is more of a unofficial challenge then a death wish. Unless, of course, it is you who is making that wish," The Jedi snapped back, reaching for his lightsabre, which was clipped upon his belt. Ki-Aid placed a hand upon the other's arm, but was shrugged off almost instantly. Obi-Wan took his lightsabre off of his belt and ignited it to start the battle that looked like it was going to take place right there. But, the pulsing blade did not come out of the metal hilt as he attempt to ignite it several more times, a confused expression coming upon his face. The Saiyan laughed, smirking slight as the Jedi narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

"Is that best you can do?" He taunted, on the verge of doing more then what the two Jedi had seen him do before. "Now, it is my turn to show you what I can do."

"Whoa, Vegeta. Now is not the time or the place to be fighting with others. We have more important things to do rather then start a battle," Goku's voice called from behind him. Vegeta spun around to see the other Saiyan standing behind him, his arms crossed over his chest and a serious expression upon his face. No one moved except for their eyes, which were moving from one person to another then returning to their original positions.

"I don't take orders from anyone, especially you. Let me have some fun before we turn this damned ship around and back through the portal so we can finish Frieza off if you say that we have more important things to do."

"No. You need to keep your power down so that Frieza won't know we went through the portal, although I wouldn't put it past him that he already knows by other means."

"So, let him come. He is no challenge to me now."

"I hate to break this happy conversation up, but I think we have company coming," Obi-Wan butted in as he looked out of the cockpit window before Goku could respond, looking slightly alarmed then usual as he clipped his lightsabre back upon his belt. The two Saiyans turned towards the Jedi, not really looking that surprised but definitely with some concern on their faces.

"What do you mean?" Vegeta growled out, any indication of his power level rising and falling back down going unnoticed by those that were present. He quickly walked over to the controls, peering out through the window that looked like it hadn't been touched at all by the forceful landing that it had gone through. The Saiyan then smirked a half of a minute later, standing up straight with a look like he wasn't worried about anything that was outside of this ship. He turned around, his eyes dancing along with the same smirk that he held on his lips. "They are no threat to us at all. Hell, none of them could even _hit_ this ship with a single blast no matter how many tries you give them."

"Meaning what exactly?" Ki-aid asked as the prince walked back to the door without much other words. He looked over his shoulder as he pushed past Goku, a evil smile forming on his lips.

"Meaning that they are worthless fighters and not something we should worry about at the moment," He answered stiffly before exiting out of the door and into the open ship. All those that remained looked at each other for a moment before following suit, not knowing what they were getting themselves into.

****

"And here I thought Frieza's ship was weird looking. This definitely out classes _that_," Krillin cried as he, Tien, and Yamcha landed softly in front of what appeared to be a large ship. Dr. Briefs wasn't too far behind, walking towards them quickly as he panted from walking (perhaps running more so then actual walking) so far away from the Capsule Corp. building complex. It took him another ten minutes to come upon the three of them, sweat dripping down his face as he stopped to catch his breath. His eyes were looking the ship over as he did, a expression of tiredness coming upon his face. "It looks like something he would make, although I don't know."

"It seems to be a part of a more advanced technology then what we have here, Krillin. It is nothing like I have ever seen, even if it was alien," Dr. Briefs commented as he continued to look the ship up and down some more, his voice strained from the lack of air that he had in his lungs. Krillin did everything in his power to keep from rolling his eyes, suppressing the urge to say something to that. "Perhaps it is part of Frieza's own army."

"Who do you think came in that ship? Think it _is_ Frieza, back from the dead?" Yamcha asked sarcastically, shaking his head. Just as he said that, the ramp to the ship began to open from the side. The small group scrambled back some as seem came from the sides as it finally made it's way down to the now scarred ground. Suddenly, a figure could be made out from the steam as the other's gasped in shock at who it was.

"Vegeta?" Tien asked uncertainly as the Saiyan appeared out from under the cloud of steam.

"You were expecting someone else to come out?" He snapped as he walked to the end of the ramp and stopped there, not really surprised that there was a welcome party to greet him. As the steam eventually cleared from the ramp, a head popped out from the entrance and a smile coming upon it's lips.

"Hi everyone!" Goku said happily to the four pairs of eyes that were staring at him in awe, giving them all a quick wave. The others breathed a sigh of what seemed like relief as the other Saiyan walked down the ramp and joined Vegeta. "So, what's going on? Why is everyone standing here?"

"We were about to ask the same thing of you," Krillin replied, laughing nervously. He stepped forwards, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nice ship you got there. Where did you get it and how much bullying did Vegeta have to do to get it?"

"It's not ours nor did Vegeta do much of anything. See, we have some good news and some bad news to tell you," Goku informed them as he and Vegeta walked over to them, trying to keep the same expression on his face as he did when he had gotten out of the ship. That was hard to do with what was waiting for them on the other side of the portal.

"Tell us the bad news first then the good. That way, we'll try to be cheerful after you tell us the bad news," Tien said with a half smile, looking less nervous then Krillin had been.

"Well, um.....there is something definitely wrong on the other side of that portal...." The Saiyan started as his voice trailed off, trying to find the exact words to what he wanted to tell them. He knew it was going to be harder said then done since all knew that Frieza was actually supposed to be dead rather then in another universe and trying to take over that one.

"What this pea brain for a Saiyan is trying to tell you without saying it directly is that Frieza is alive. He, Cold, and Ginyu are on the other side of the portal without any restraints on them whatsoever. They have teamed up with some guy in a black cloak and want to try to take over that universe that is through the portal. It is the same story that they have tried over here," Vegeta finished for the other as he also crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to be bothered by that. Let those who live there just deal with it themselves. It is their business, not mine. But, I wouldn't mind having a go at Frieza myself."

"What do you mean, Frieza is alive? We all saw him get killed by Trunks!" Yamcha cried out in disbelief, looking from one Saiyan to the other.

"So did I, you idiot! Somehow, that guy that they are now friends with came through the portal, got him, and somehow put a replica of him in the same exact spot that he had disappeared in. Don't ask me how they did it without anyone noticing, but it had happened."

"And we don't know who else is with them now," Goku put in. "I don't know if he brought back the Ginyu Force as well as Frieza and Cold, but I can't be sure. I doubt that he did since I felt nothing else on the planet that we were on except for Cold, Ginyu, and Frieza."

"Let's hope that is all he brought back. It will be easy if he did," Tien muttered.

"Uh, guys. I hate to bring this small fact up, but there is something, rather _something_, that I think we need to worry more about then just Frieza," Krillin spoke up, his face going a pale color.

"Who is that? What can that guy possibly go back for now that he has Frieza?" Vegeta snapped.

"Cell," He answered truthfully. At that single moment, all that were present fell silent. They stared at each other in horrified silence, remember what happened three years ago with Cell and the other two androids.

"It suddenly got quiet out there. Is everyone alright?" A young yet distracted voice called from the ship, breaking the silence. The group turned their attention to the ship's ramp as a small boy stood there, looking straight at them and looking just as bored as his voice sounded. His blue eyes were wide with surprise as he looked a all of them at once, trying to actually hide that surprised look. "I heard that there were others on this planet, but I didn't know that some of them came here."

"Yes, there are. Now, run along and get those other two damn humans, boy," Vegeta barked out at him, but the boy did not move an inch. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the Saiyan with menacing eyes.

"What if I don't?" He snapped out as two figures walked down the ramp, the boy's words seemingly not reaching their ears. The prince snorted and stomped away from the group, looking just as angry ever. One of the strangers sighed as he watched Vegeta fly into the air, away from the ship and away from everyone else. 

"I would have liked it if my lightsabre was working properly. I really have go to teach Vegeta a lesson or two," He said, glaring after Vegeta's retreating back.

"And these are who?" Tien asked, looking at the three strangely as if he didn't trust them at all to be working for Frieza or some other unknown power-hungry person.

"The good news," Goku said with the best smile that he could muster as he named the three of them to his friends quickly.

"Nice," Yamcha replied, looking at them with a weird look on his face. He looked them over, eyeing the weapon that was clipped on each of their belts. "What are you guys anyways?"

"Jedi Knights," The one that was called Obi-Wan answered easily. "We defend our universe from things like the one you call Frieza."

"Interesting," Dr. Briefs said, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned his attention back to the ship the strangers had come on. "I say, do you think that your ship needs to be fixed?"

"After Obi-Wan's landing, I wouldn't doubt that," The other called Ki-Adi said, a smile forming on his lips. "Course, he has had rougher landings then this one, though."

"Then it is settled," The doctor said, then turned towards the other four with a forced smile on his lips. "Would one of you be kind enough to lend me a ride back to Capsule Corp.? Honestly, I didn't think the ship landed so far away."

A ring of laughter sounded from all of them, the tension that had been between them now dissolving. Perhaps it was a good thing to have come through the portal.

****

The thought of going to Courscant now seemed like an absurd idea, but it was something that could be done in a short amount of time. Getting there wasn't the problem at the moment. Other lies he had to use for other things was and that worried him slightly. Even with this small problem at hand, Siddious sat in the pilot's chair of his ship, hitting several buttons on the control panel as it flashed with brilliance. The window reflected some of the lights back onto him, but the Sith was still able to see out of it as little as he could and into the port of the desert town.

"So, this place you call Coruscant? How long will it take to get there?" Cold asked as he stood behind Siddious with his arms crossed over his chest and a sneer upon his face. Even though he had to stop slightly to stand in the cockpit of the ship, the Icejin still was able to watched the other with slight boredom that he still could not even remove from his voice. 

"It might take a while to get there depending on the speed of the ship as it goes through hyperspace and how much of it works," The Sith replied, not taking his shielded away from the controls.

"Just how long _will_ it take? A month? A week? A day? No longer then a month, I assume?"

"Probably half of a day at the least, if everything goes according to plan. It wouldn't take long with a ship that outstrips even what the Republic has," Siddious said, swirling around in his chair to face the towering form of Cold. "Several hours if such a ship exists. Unfortunately, I do not have that kind of ship in my possession at the current moment, so this will have to do for now."

"Good," Cold said in a bored tone, looking down at some of the controls of the ship, attempting to make something out of it. "I don't want to take long at all."

With that, he turned around and strutted towards the doorway. He stooped out of the opening doors, not even knowing that a glare was being giving in his general direction. As soon as the doors closed, the Sith took in a breath of agitation and turned back to the controls so that he could concentrate on them.

"Trust me. It won't at all," Siddious said to himself, his eyes sweeping over the controls once again.

****

To Be Continued


	8. Chapter 7

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Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

__

Warnings: Shortness ahead. That is really about it. Many of the chapters in the original version had been uploaded two at a time in the same document and when I had first put them together, it seemed long to me at the time. There will be others that will be shorter like this one (but probably not as short), so be on the lookout for them. :)

****

Chapter Seven:

It was just like she had remembered it three years ago when she had landed upon it during her fleeing trip from the Trade Federation. Nothing seemed to have changed much, although they were on another part of the planet and in another township far from where they had taken their first trip to. Although it was a different place, it was all the same no matter what angle one looked at it.

"Where is Obi-Wan's ship? It should be around here,," Queen Amidala demanded sourly, her brown eyes scanning the desert in front of her. She stood outside the ship, dressed in her battered peasant clothing. Sabe was inside, the other handmaidens helping her get dressed into the queen's garments instead of the usual handmaiden cloth. She looked around desperately at the outskirts of Most Esiley, a angry look upon her face that had appeared there not long after she had stepped out into the heat.

"I do not know, my Queen. He probably had already left Tatooine before we even got here. I believe he and Anakin were headed back towards Naboo after they left here or back to the Jedi Temple if they weren't dispatched back to our home," Panaka said, his eyes crunched up in the Tatooine sun. "Of course, we have not checked the ports as of yet nor did we check the rest of the outskirts of the town."

"That would be impossible if they had left. We would have seen his ship come our way if he went back to Naboo. Besides, why would he want to take Anakin back to Coruscant so early?" Amidala demanded, clenching her hands together in balls of rage. She walked down the ramp that lead into the sand, her body turning around as she started to move towards where the town lay. She was more then ready to find the young boy and his Master even if she had to travel to Coruscant herself to get them. There was more then one way to track down a Jedi and she would find those ways even if it took her a long time to do so. 

"Amidala! Wait! You don't know what is in that town!' Panaka called after her as he jumped off of the ramp and ran towards the queen in a huff. "It isn't like the other ones, even though I do regret letting you go into that one. Remember where we are and the type of towns these are."

"I don't care about how bad they are. I have been in one of these so-called horrible Tatooine towns before, haven't I?" She snapped back at him, not even bothering to look behind her as she quickened her pace towards the town. "It is like most of the cities on Naboo. Once you have visited one, you have visited them all."

"I figured you would say that much, Padme," He hissed out, using the other's handmaiden name that she had to use in order to keep her identity a secret from all that did not know it. Amidala stopped short once she heard that name, turning around as she reached the inner limits of Mos Eisley. The captain ran up to her, out of breath due to the fact that the twin suns were bearing down upon him. The ship wasn't that far from the town itself, although it was a considerable amount of walking in heat like this. "I figured you would at least stop at hearing that name. You....."

"Look, stop me...." She interrupted him but was then interrupted not a second later by the other himself.

".....had better get used to me using that name for you if you want to make your way around this town," Panaka finished before the queen could say another word to him.

".....all you.....huh?" Amidala asked, blinking her brown eyes at him in more then just impatience. "Explain, please."

"We have gotten this far with your pestering, and I know you wouldn't want to turn back now. We might as well go into the town and find those Jedi for you. We didn't come all this way for nothing" He shrugged, looking sheepish. "Besides, no matter how much security I would put around you, there would always be that chance that you would break out of it all."

"You know me all to well, captain," Amidala said, a smug look upon her face. She turned around and walked into the township, Panaka right behind her. It would be a day that neither one of them would forget.

****

Each had become restless, too tired of waiting for Siddious to make sure that the ship was ready for the trip into hyperspace, which had taken an hour already and it, by his standards, was no where near ready to make the jump. None understood the mutterings that the Sith whispered through his teeth, so they left him to do what he had to do instead of taking up more of his time asking questions.

"I know you want to go after these Saiyans, son," Cold said to Frieza as they stood outside the Sith's ship, sweating in the heat from the twin sun's above. Frieza stood next to his father, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. He had long since paced from one end of the ship to the other, impatiently waiting for this ordeal to be over and done with so that they could get on with their plans to rule the universe. "We will go after this so-called Council first before we even bother going after them. Once this Council crumbles, so will the Jedi then the Saiyans."

"I don't want to wait for this to happen. I have waited long enough as it is already," Frieza said icily, his tail moving in anger as the Icejin narrowed his eyes in frustration. "Of course, whatever it takes to get them into my grasp once again I will attempt to follow. I want to have my revenge on them."

"Yes, of course. However, you need to calm down some, Frieza, as it is not setting an example for our future kingdom," His father said, stifling a yawn that was coming to his lips. He had said these words so many times in the past that it was just something that he spoke naturally to his son. It wasn't like he didn't care if Frieza went on a rampage, destroying things in his wake, but it wasn't something that he was too worried about.

"Where is Ginyu? I haven't seen him since we left the ship a while ago," Frieza said sharply, his ruby eyes looking around in sheer boredom.

"Perhaps in the ship, taking a nap, which doesn't sound like a bad idea. Or perhaps he is one of those cantinas that we were in earlier," Cold said, looking like he might do either idea at the moment. Frieza snorted, turning around as he walked back into the ship without replying to that. He knew he had to keep his anger in check so that he wouldn't ruin his chances of trying to defeat the Saiyans. Yet, his patience was thinning to a point where anything would happen if it hit him sharply enough.

And that would happen soon enough.

****

To Be Continued

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Author's Note: Again, sorry about the length of this chapter. It is easier if I kept all the original chapter numbers instead of having to change each one to accommodate changes from the others. However, this one is actually longer then the original one (which was at 423 words without the title and the disclaimer), so that is better. Well, hope you have enjoyed the fic so far!


	9. Chapter 8

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Eight:

It had taken them longer to get back to Capsule Corp. then it had to get to the ship, only because there were three new friends that had entered their world. At this point, any indication that they had extra powers and the like might just very well make them seem more unnatural then anything else the proclaimed 'Jedi' had seen. However, anything unnatural seemed to be what they were used to as Anakin explained about several different species in his universe as they entered the kitchen of one of the buildings of the complex.

It was there that any known information was told of what was going on in the other universe. Between Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ki-Adi, and Goku, it didn't take them long to weave a tale of how several of the supposedly dead or transformed villains from Goku's universe had ended up in the other universe. Even so, it was more interesting to know exactly how they had managed to do it. Several theories had been thrown around, but none seemed to have gotten them very far.

"I still can't believe that Frieza, his father, and Ginyu are over there, allied with this person you call a Sith. And this Sith person somehow turned back time in _our_ universe to bring them back," Krillin said thoughtfully as he sat down on a chair that was sitting around one of the three kitchen tables. The small group of Humans, Saiyans, and other creatures either stood by something, sat in chairs, or was going from a standing to a sitting position and vice versa in the Briefs kitchen. Some were even trying to explain over and over again to other's what was really going on in the Jedi's universe, yet that was hard to do since the majority of the group had never been there. 

"Yes. That is what is going on there. I was surprised myself to see Frieza standing there like Namek had never happened," Goku said, nodding as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms at his side. He was leaning against the doorway, looking down at the ground. "I believe they want to take over that universe then reclaim what they lost in ours."

"Great. Just great," Krillin grumbled, pacing his head on the table as he grumbled some more.

"Frieza can't be all bad. I mean, I know we haven't seen his power yet, but still," Obi-Wan said as he sat across from Krillin, a doubtful expression on his face. In response, he received more expressionless, dead looks from all who were present, except for Ki-Adi and Anakin, then he did whenever he was in front of the Council. He looked around, confused at the type of expressions that were on their faces. The Jedi then looked over at the Saiyan, who looked more calm then any other person in the room. "Just how bad and powerful is he?"

"Let's just say that not even Goku could beat him, even at a Super Saiyan level," Tien answered for Goku as he leaned against the counter he was standing next to, crossing his arms over his chest. His three eyes held the same slight hints of fear that was in everyone's own eyes even though he had never come face-to-face with Frieza.

"I guess that answers you question," Anakin muttered under his breath, looking towards Obi-Wan as he sat next to him. This prompted the Jedi to give his Padawan a look that meant this was one of those times to be quiet rather then speak his mind. Ki-Adi sighed, placing his hands in front of him as he stood behind the other Jedi without word. He had a blank expression on his face, indicating that he was either deep in thought or he was not following what was going on.

"You are thinking of how we are going to go up against them, right?" Yamcha asked him as he stood next to Tien, noticing the silence that Ki-Adi held.

"I am wondering what things you---we---can do, not how we are going to go up against anything. If I can remember correctly, Goku said that if you went into our universe, you won't be able to use your powers there until a couple of days has passed," He replied slowly, choosing his words carefully. 

"We _don't_ have a couple of days to do that. You don't know how fast Frieza moves when he is angry, and I am sure he is pretty angry right now. And, with his father, Ginyu, this Sith, and whoever else is with him, he could move faster then before," Goku said, sighing. "And I don't think Frieza is stupid enough to come through the portal with nearly the whole universe expecting him to be dead. He _knows_ what he is up against for the most part."

"So, what are we going to do? I know we don't have any time to do things in, but time is all we have at this point," Ki-Adi asked, looking around. "You talk about these Super Saiyans like they can be plucked out of thin air. I mean, shouldn't a single Super Saiyan be powerful enough, right?"

"Yea. Pretty powerful indeed," Krillin answered, his head still on the table. "If only Vegeta were......"

"Don't worry about Vegeta right now. He shouldn't be a concern to us," Obi-Wan interrupted, a flash of anger going through his blue eyes. "Until he comes back here, there is nothing we can do about him."

"He'll be okay. He just needs time to cool off like all the other times he had gotten angry," Goku said, biting his lower lip as he looked down at the ground. There was complete silence that followed, the only noise coming from the different machines that were placed around the kitchen. No one knew what to say or do, all knowing what was waiting for them on the other side of the portal.

"Like he said, what are we going to do?" Yamcha demanded irritably five minutes later. He was answered only with another deafening silence.

****

He stood miles away from Capsule Corps, in a place where little untouched land still was free from the claws of machines. Vegeta stood on a cliff that overlooked a small valley, his arms crossed over his chest. A yellow, waving aura surrounded him, his blonde hair rippling in the power he held. His cyan eyes sparkled in the sunlight like gems in water, looking down upon the ground below the ridges of the cliff. A frown creased his lower face, his eyes narrowing down at the creatures that looked back up at him.

He remembered the past that he had come from that seemed so long again. Remembered the day he had found out what had really happened to his home planet that had been destroyed completely with only a few lone survivors. Frieza had been the one to blow it up into nothing that was the void of space. The once-proud Saiyan race was killed instantly, dead in a bloody death. All except for fourth, which himself and Goku had been a part of. Two had been killed only years before, leaving two full-blooded Saiyans to live so that they could carry on what their species had ended.

He hated Frieza for that one thing, more then anything else that he had done to the Saiyan. Vegeta never had hated someone that much in his life, not even those that were beneath him. Even with Frieza being killed a second time by his future son, the hatred was still pulsing through his veins. Now, days after Cell had been defeated, the anger and hurt throbbed in his heart and soul.

"One day, Frieza, I will be the one that will defeat you again! I don't care how long it takes, I'll do it!" Vegeta screamed out, the sound echoing through the valley. He then rose off of the ground, his eyes cold and emotionless as he uncrossed his arms and started to fly back to Capsule Corp.

This time, there was a set determination on his face.

****

Finding two stray Jedi was harder to do then trying to fight one's way through the streets of any Tatooine town. Jedi were known to blend into a crowd when they had to, often not letting themselves be known until they needed to be seen and heard. Even so, she was going to find them and get some answers even if it took her the rest of her life to do.

Queen Amidala stood at the entrance of one of the many cantina's in Mos Eisley, her eyes blazing with tiredness. This was one of the last ones she had to look into, Panaka not too far behind her to make sure that she was still safe when she exited. Although he disliked her to go into these cantina's alone, it would bring less attention to her and those she was looking for. Besides, she liked to see what normal creatures did when there was nothing else to do besides getting drunk.

As she walked inside the cantina, her eyes scanned the tables and the bar that she moved towards, her heart beating fast. Several of the male customers whistled at her and beckoned the queen to come sit with them, but she ignored them even though a soft smile came to her lips. She was too busy at the moment to even care what the drunken fools wanted to do with her. She wanted to make sure that the Jedi she was looking for were okay and she got the information that she so dearly wanted to know from them.

When she came to the bar, Amidala looked around it at the different patrons. She smiled even broader when she saw an opening next to a rather muscular and tall creature with horns jutting upwards on his head. _Well, it is better then nothing I suppose. At least he isn't trying to get him to come sit next to him,_ The Naboo queen thought to herself as she took in a deep breath to keep herself calm. She walked to the opening, squeezing herself into the spot as she sat down upon the stool. The bartender looked at her coldly as she did so. Even with this look, she gulped and spoke the forbidden words she had so recently learned to keep low or keep quiet.

"Um, I am looking for someone. A small boy, as a matter of fact. Grew up on Tatooine himself, actually. He is of the age of about twelve or thirteen with very short, blonde hair, and a braid on one side. He was wearing robes that would look similar to those here," Amidala said, her voice loud enough so that the other could hear her over top of the noise. The bartender shook his furry head at her as if to say he hadn't seen him as he washed a glass out. It was either that or he didn't understand a word she had spoken. The creature next to her turned his head slightly in a wondering way as the queen tried again, this time a little bit more nervously. "Well, then. Have you seen an older man around? He has slightly longer brown hair, a beard on his face, and gray-blue eyes. He has the same exact clothing as the boy but with a darker robe on top. He is a....." She dropped her voice low enough to indicate that she didn't want the next word she spoke to be heard all over the bar. ".....Jedi."

It was like she had shouted the word out as the area around the bar suddenly got quiet at the mention of that word. Several of the creatures turned around to see who was talking of a Jedi being at the cantina or anywhere near it. Amidala shrunk down some, her pale cheeks turning a light shade of pink. The creature next to her straightened it's back as if he knew what she was talking about.

"Jedi?" He asked in a snotty voice as the noise around them go to it's usual level like nothing had happened.

"Yes. Two of them, in fact; a young boy and a older one," She replied, looking up at him finally. "You wouldn't by any chance, have seen them? Or, at least, know them? Considering how Qui-Gon was, despite me knowing him for only a short amount of time, I wouldn't be surprised if half of the galaxy doesn't either owe at least a small favor to his former Padawan or want to take his head off."

"Yes, now that you have mentioned it. There was another Jedi with them, I believe. I think it was a member of a Council or something like that. I am ne...._I was_ never into the belief of the Jedi. My son and I just happened to be looking for those three along with two others," It said, stopping himself slightly at one point as if he didn't want to say something else. The queen looked at him oddly, wondering what a member of the Jedi Council would want to be going with them on a mission to the Outer Rim. This situation was becoming more strange then it had begun to be. Two others? Were there other Jedi in this area, but didn't show who they were in case something went wrong? Or perhaps it was two people from this township, having gotten caught up in the fray of things and had to be whisked away by the three Jedi. 

She also didn't like the way the creature had to catch himself in the middle of his sentence. It made her wonder what he knew that she didn't. _I have never seen his species before, but then again I have lived on Naboo my whole life. Even so, I would have known,_ She thought to herself, pressing her lips into a thin line. _But, what choice do I have? This is the first clue I have gotten all day and it is about time I took a step forwards._

"Well, then. Where did they go?" Amidala asked finally. The creature did not say anything as it stood up, it's tail uncoiling from around the stool. It beckoned the young queen to follow him outside as he walked towards the door without word. Amidala tilted her head, sliding off of the stool as she pushed herself from the bar. She didn't know what the creature was thinking, but she knew it had to lead to Anakin and Obi-Wan.

And the answer to her questions.

****

Captain Panaka stood outside one of the few remaining Mos Eisley cantina's that still had to be searched for answers, watching the small stream of people pass with a close watch. Most were human moisture farmers that came into town for goods that they could not get themselves in the sand dunes while others were the slaves of many species. He tried not to look like he was nervous in front of this crowd, which was hard to do considering what could happen if anything should spark a fight. He was somewhat afraid of that situation if it were to arise, but also afraid of what could happen to the queen inside the cantina. Alone, with no bodyguards or handmaidens there to protect her. That made him nervous to the end. Very nervous indeed.

Panaka hated the idea that Amidala had chosen to be in her handmaiden robes and in a place without much knowledge of the people. Even though he knew that no one would harm a seemingly 'normal' looking girl or think that she was actually the queen of a faraway, back water planet, he didn't care. It was still the queen underneath those robes and the queen she would always be until she either stepped down or her term was up.

The two of them had come with the handmaiden/queen switch many years ago as a precaution. It would be a decoy queen in the times of need or when there was a long journey ahead. Sabe was the first in line to be the royal decoy, the hardest and dangerous job that any of the five handmaidens had to do. Amidala had always taken the robes of the handmaidens and the name Padme in these times, no matter what the situation was. It was something that had to be done in the past and it would help the queen until the end of her term, no matter how much danger it put her and the handmaiden in.

Even in times that did not call for this switch, it was sometimes used to get Amidala away from the castle so she could have a day or two without worry. Sabe knew enough about being the queen to handle it for no longer then a week or two; after that, she would have to make things up as she went along. Those times were meant only for enjoyment of the queen so she would not collapse under the strain of her position.

At that moment, a creature of tall stature slinked out of the cantina, a sneer on it's face. His muscle-bound arms seemed to be larger then Panaka himself as it walked right past him, not even looking down at him. Right behind the creature, and to his horror, Amidala came. She had a smile on her lips as she walked past the captain, not saying a word as if she had not seen him either. He grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back some. 

"Just what in the hell do you think you are doing?" He hissed into her ear, glancing up at the creature who had stopped as he looked over his shoulder. 

"Finding just where Anakin and Obi-Wan is and what is going on. Did you know that one of the Council members is with them?" She growled back, quickly taking her arm out of the other's grasp. "Isn't that what we came here to do? Find them and get some answers?"

"Are you going to follow that creature to them?"

"Yes, I am. If not, he'll tell me at least the direction in which they are going in," Amidala replied, a light smile coming to her lips as she joined her new friend. "I mean, what could actually happen?"

****

To Be Continued


	10. Chapter 9

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Nine:

"Is there anything wrong with the ship? I am sure that the landing couldn't have been that bad when we came here," Obi-Wan said, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked over the shoulder of Dr. Briefs. The doc was standing in front of him, scratching his head as he looked the ship, which sat in the same position it had when Obi-Wan and the others had landed, over several times with a mild expression on his face. The Jedi had watched him work on, around, and inside the ship for what seemed like only a few minutes to him but could very well have been several hours at the most. 

There had been some tinkering going on in the cockpit, but that was probably due to the small crack that had formed in one of the windows. Dr. Briefs had said that re-entering space might have a dire effect on a already cracked window, no matter how small it could be. With some more fixing broken knobs and making sure that nothing else was amiss, Dr. Briefs had come back out of the ship and was now making sure that he had not missed anything from outside the ship.

"Well, I don't know for sure. This technology is far more different then what I have seen, alien or not. From what I have seen and fixed, the circuits look similar to that of any ship that I have either built or fixed. However, I don't think the landing could have done anything major to the ship other then several dents and a few things that needed to be fixed up," He answered finally, tilting his head to look under the ship the best he could. "At least, not from the angle that you had landed at, the speed at which you were going, and how well it was piloted. More likely then not, your landing did more damage to the ground under it then to the ship itself."

"So, do you think I should see if the engines are okay?" Obi-Wan asked dully.

"Go ahead. I don't know what will happen to the area's that I have fixed up, though. It is your ship."

"I will," Obi-Wan mused, walking to the ship's ramp. That had been closed before they had even left it in the middle of nowhere, but it had been re-opened so that they could walk in and out as they pleased. He walked up the ship's ramp, his arms still crossed over his chest. 

"Why is he acting so strangely? It would seem like this would be the type of mood Vegeta would always be in," Dr. Briefs said as Obi-Wan disappeared into the ship, now seemingly talking to himself. However, Ki-Adi had moved silently next to the doctor, having walked from Capsule Corp to see how well things were going.

"About three years ago, he lost his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. See, Jedi can train younger ones who are strong with the Force, therefore taking on a Padawan Learner, just like Anakin is to Obi-Wan," Ki-Adi said, a expressionless look on his face. "Qui-Gon was killed by the former apprentice of the same Sith that has taken the ones from your universe. Obi-Wan was close to Qui-Gon, who was like the father he never had. Or rather, never knew."

"I see."

"Yet, I don't think that is the only reason why he has been in a foul mood recently," As the Jedi spoke those words, the ship started up with a low rumbling that shook some of the rooks beneath it. It breathed into life, the rumble going into a soft hum. Ki-Adi smiled, a small hint of happiness going through his eyes before it disappeared.

"Well, I suppose it didn't need any more fixing," Dr. Briefs stated, sighing. Ki-Adi nodded, turning around to face towards where Capsule Corp. lay.

"I better go get all those who are going with us. It is going to be a long journey," He muttered under his breath, Dr. Briefs nodding. The Jedi left the doctor to wait for Obi-Wan, not knowing just how long this journey might be.

****

The Tatooine heat was much more hotter then she remembered last, but Amidala swore it had been at least thirty degree's cooler when she had first landed on the desert planet. She supposed it had to do with the fact that she hadn't been going all over a single township, looking for two Jedi that she needed to get information from. Since she had gotten some new information from her new friend, she was now looking for three Jedi, possibly five if there were two disguised one's lurking about.

"Do you know where exactly they are?" Amidala asked as she walked beside the creature, looking up at him. She had to move her neck at an odd angle to do so, since he was several feet taller then her. He did not answer the question as he stared straight ahead, not even blinking his eyes in the twin sun's light. The queen grumbled something under her breath so that he wouldn't hear her, also turning her gaze forwards. "By the way, who are you?"

"Why do you want to know?" The creature asked in a bored voice, saying his first words in what seemed like more then an hour.

"I like knowing who people are, that is all. Besides, I don't want to have to refer to you as 'It', now do I?"

"My name is Cold," He replied, an icy look appearing on his face. He glanced down at her, an unmistakable attempt to hide a smirk not going unnoticed by his smaller companion. "Now that you know who I am, may I ask who you are?"

Amidala bit her lower lip in response to that question. She didn't know whether or not to use her handmaiden name or her real one. She was compelled to used the one she had been born with, since she knew that Cold had told her his. Hell, he could be telling a lie for all she knew. The people that lived in or around the Outer Rim and it's territories couldn't be trusted faster then they could accept Republic credits; not even a young, naive girl could be trusted as quickly. _I could use some truth to it. What harm could a little bit of lying with some of the truth hurt? Besides, it never has put me in any immediate danger,_ She thought bitterly, looking back at the other wide eyes. _I rather stick to the name that Panaka and I created then having someone like him trace my name back to find out who I am._

"Padme of the Naboo," She said finally. Cold snorted, raising his eyes back up.

"Naboo? Never.....been there," He said, acting like he had just caught himself again with trying to reveal more then what he really was. Amidala eyed him, knowing that he was hiding something just like the Jedi.

"My people are the peaceful sort. We don't go to war unless we have to. Naboo is a lavish planet, full of life. It is beautiful even if one has lived on the planet his whole life," She said as they walked along one of the stalls in the street.

"Well, now that we know each other a little better, tell me. Why are you looking for these Jedi?"

"I want to know what is going on and why they won't tell me certain things. I know Jedi need to keep secrets to keep the rest of the galaxy safe, but sometimes I think it should be better for them to say what is really going on."

"Going on with what?" Cold inquired, seemingly looking lost.

"That is the problem that I face. I don't know what is going on. They are hiding something, and I plan to find out what it is even if it takes me the rest of my life to do," Amidala answered, looking thoughtful/ Cold bit his lower lip to keep himself from saying anything more, knowing full well that he had been close twice already to say that he was not of this universe. As the two walked in silence, a plan started to form in his mind. 

****

Vegeta leaned up against a tree that stood outside one of the Capsule Corp. buildings, his arms crossed over his chest. His coal black eyes were closed, a angered expression on his face as he kept his head bowed slightly. He had arrived back at the labs only five minutes before after spending enough time away from all of this to figure out things, mostly how he---himself---was going to defeat Frieza.

He hated the fact that he probably had to wait a while more to actually destroy the only thing he hated more then Goku always being the one to come out on top. Vegeta had spent endless nights, tossing and turning over the fact that he hadn't been the one who killed Frieza himself. He spent hour after endless hour, day after tiresome day, training in the gravity chamber which Bulma had built for his needs. Even that, pushing himself to the limit, was not enough. There had to be more that he could do.

The Saiyan opened his eyes slowly, hearing voices coming from behind him as they came from one of the buildings. He moved his eyes over to the right, the sound of two sets of feet coming towards him. He narrowed his eyes, his lips turning into a deep frown.

"How do we know if we can even beat Frieza this time? What if Goku and Vegeta aren't enough? I don't know how keen Chi-Chi would be to let Gohan go back into space again, and I am sure Piccolo might be too busy training Dende to come with us," Krillin's voice said as it came nearer to him.

"I know we can, Krillin. If Goku and Trunks can do it, then there is a great possibility that we can beat him a third time. There is no doubt about it," Tien's voice replied. The two humans walked past the Saiyan without word, not even noticing that he was standing there.

"What about the others? We don't even know who this guy got from the past other then from Frieza, his father, and Ginyu. He could have even gotten Cell in his perfect stage."

"They should be easy to defeat so long as that thing doesn't bring back Cell. You know that couldn't beat him much less any one of us....except for Gohan, that is."

"Idiot's," Vegeta grumbled under his breath softly but loud enough for the other two to hear. Both stopped in mid stride, turning around to face the one that had spoken, surprised looks on their faces. "You realize that once we get through the portal, we won't be able to use our powers straight away?"

"Yes, we do, Vegeta, but that won't be for a couple of days," Krillin pointed out, taking in a gulp of air. Vegeta rolled his eyes in response, pushing himself from the tree.

"Why do you care? You said it yourself that what happens over there is none of your business," Tien said to the Saiyan in half anger, half fear.

"I don't give a damn about that universe. I just want to kill Frieza and leave. That is my business," Vegeta snapped, walking away from them with his arms still crossed over his chest. At that point, he felt the part of him that wanted to watch the blood ooze from Frieza's lips start to dwindle. Now, the urge to prove that he was the strongest being in both universes was beginning to well up inside of him.

And he would die trying to do either objective.

****

If there was one thing in all of the Earth that was the hardest to do, it was trying to convince your wife that everything would be fine when you went on a small, probably couple week trip with some friends in which nothing major would happen. That was fine, until she strangled the truth out of her husband, which included going through a probably very unstable portal for a third time in a row, fighting creatures that were supposed to be dead from years ago, teaming up with three strangers from that universe in which he knew nothing about, and trying to save two universes at once without dieing again.

Chi-Chi knew better then anything that any small, possible two-week trip for Goku to spend time with his friends meant that he was getting himself into another battle over something that he was probably going to get killed over. Again. It wasn't like he was going to stay in _this_ universe; oh no, he _had_ to go and get involved with another universe's problems. 

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO BACK THROUGH THAT PORTAL AND GET YOURSELF KILLED OVER SOMETHING STUPID AGAIN!" Chi-Chi screamed, standing in front of her husband, brandishing a very large and very heavy frying pan. Goku was cowering in the corner, already having being hit by that very same frying pan. How and where Chi-Chi kept all of her ammo, no one knew for sure. Oolong had a theory that she owned several bottomless pockets in which she could pull these sort of things out of. Whatever anyone thought, it seemed like she could pull anything out from anywhere without even having to think about it.

"Chi-Chi, I have to go. It is for the best. Besides, I already promised everyone," Goku whined, looking like he did when he had just had his hand's smacked from dinner preparations.

"NO!" His wife screeched out, waving the mega-sized frying pan wildly in the air. "What if you don't come back again for another several years? Gohan won't have a father, and I'll be husbandless once again."

"Now, Chi-Chi. I will be back soon. That I can promise you. Have I ever made a promise that I couldn't keep?" He gave her his best innocent look that he usually used on her when he tried to weasel out of something like this.

"No, but still..." She said softly, lowering the frying pan.

"Just keep an eye on Gohan for me, okay? This is one battle I don't want him to get involved in. Just yet, anyways." 

Before he could be hit with the blunt object again or his words could sink in, Goku bolted out the door with a loud good-bye to her. She glared after him through the open doorway, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes narrowed at this sight.

"Grrrr," She growled out as the figure of her husband rose into the air and towards the horizon. She sighed, shaking her head as she walked to the door and closed it. Yet another battle he was off to, possibly about to be killed yet again.

****

To Be Continued


	11. Chapter 10

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Ten:

"Where is my father?" Frieza demanded as he looked up and down the less and less crowded street. He stood just outside of the ship, his arms crossed over his chest. Cold had wandered off a while before, having not returned yet from wherever he had gone off to. He had not told any of his companions where he was headed off to, only saying that he wanted to see the rest of the township before they left the planet. It was an easy story to abide by, but not the task of finding his way back to the ship. Even harder still was standing underneath the twin suns, the heat rising up even though it was approaching close to the end of the day on Tatooine.

"He is still in this area, you can be sure of that. If he wanted to find out more about the Jedi, he is making a mistake. The Republic's grasp does not stretch this far into the outer reaches of the galaxy," Siddious replied with even more coldness in his voice. He had his arms clasped behind his back, his black cloak covering his hands almost altogether. The hood that covered his face move slight as a small gust of sandy wind moved past him, but it was not enough to show his face.

"He had better hurry up so that things can start to happen. I want to find those Saiyans and that Council you were babbling about not too long ago," The Icejin snapped, his tail moving impatiently.

"We will get to Courscant as soon as other things start to happen. It would be hard to convince that two of their best Jedi are missing along with one of their Padawans. Jedi, like Sith, are not hard to fool."

"These Padawans; what are they?" 

"It is what the Jedi call their apprentices. They train one for years, which depends on how fast they learn and the amount of knowledge they take in. After the training is complete, the Padawans go through a test that will determine if they are ready to become a Jedi Knight. If not, it is back to training."

"I see," Frieza muttered, blinking his ruby red eyes in the sunlight. All around them, people continued to walk past them, not even giving them a second look. Most were of alien origin themselves, not really caring what species Frieza was or why he was on one of the most dangerous planet's in the Outer Rim. Some looked in Frieza's way, not even surprised that someone like him was on a planet like this or why he was standing next to a hooded figure. That was his business and his busing alone. Other's looked in Siddious's way with wondering flares in their eyes, some not even bothering to question who he was or why he was there.

There were few humanoids on the planet that lived on it or anywhere in the Outer Rim and it's territories. Most of the galaxy knew of the dangers of the small band of planets that were primarily controlled by the Hutts, a species which made it their business to know what was going on in everything that they owned. Many space travelers made sure that they bypassed this system altogether, ensuring that they would not run into traps or certain doom that was waiting for unsuspecting pilots.

Frieza bit his lower lip, thinking of how he was going to keep his part of this universe---however big it was outside of this galaxy---under his control. He was going to make sure nothing would happen, especially in the area of having someone trying to kill him. He did not even plan to stay in this place for the rest of his life, eventually moving back over to the other side of the portal. There, the Icejin would see what little of the systems he had once controlled all those years ago were still functional. Those who had wanted him dead had their wish granted twice, but now that he was back, there were things that needed to get done. things that he hadn't thought of in a long time, now coming back in a rush of thoughts.

"Have you heard anything that I have just said?" Siddious asked. Frieza snapped out of his daydream, turning his attention over to the Sith. He did not say anything as a surge of anger went through his body, pulsing at his veins. Siddious did not respond to the surge of power since he apparently could not feel it, like Frieza. That was one of the upsides to this universe. No one could sense power levels being raised nor was there any type of known technology that could show it.

"No, I have not," Frieza said in a semi-pissed off voice, angry that he had been interrupted in his flow of thoughts.

"As I was saying before, I have brought back some of the most powerful beings that has existed in your universe so far. However, I feel like I have passed by something there. Something that is important to what may happen in the future."

"Your point is?"

"This thing may ensure our victory in any battles that are ahead. It is time that I should go back for it and now."

"WHAT?!" Frieza screeched out, flames dancing in his eyes. Siddious turned towards the ship, not even noticing what expression was upon Frieza's face. It was something that wasn't important to him nor something he was going to have to worry about as he walked up the ramp into the ship. "You can't be serious about that."

"That, I am," Was the Sith's last words before he disappeared into the ship.

****

"Is everyone who is going here?" Obi-Wan asked, his arms crossed over his chest and a defiant look on his face. He looked around at the people who had gathered in front of him, his blue eyes seemingly counting those who were standing before him.

"As far as we know, yes," Ki-Adi answered as he stood next to Goku, a thin, forced smile upon his lips. The small band of warriors had gathered outside of Obi-Wan's ship, awaiting to board it so that they could go back into the portal. Even though most had no idea what to expect once they were on the other side, they were going anyways despite the risks that were involved. It was something that they had to do regardless of the dangers. The Earth and all other systems were being threatened again by those that dared to go up against the works of good. It was their destiny to make sure that innocent, fragile lives were protected just like it was the Jedi code to protect their own lives.

"Let's go, then, if everyone is ready to start," Obi-Wan said, turning around to the ship as he started walking towards it, uncrossing his arms.

"Do you have a plan to do anything once we go through the portal?" Vegeta's voice asked irritably from the back of the group. The Jedi stopped walking, his eyes narrowing as he growled something under his breath. He spun around quickly to face them once again as the Saiyan prince pushed his way to the front. 

"Why do you care if I do or not?" Obi-Wan retorted back.

"I don't care. I never have and never will. It isn't my universe, so it isn't my problem."

"Then why do you want to know if I have a plan or not?"

"Look, damn it. I know Frieza better then anyone here. If he is loose in your universe, then hell knows what he will do in the time he has in front of him. I wouldn't be that surprised if half of it isn't destroyed by now or at least under his control," Vegeta growled. "The only reason why I want to know is because I want to be the first one to take on Frieza."

"He wouldn't dare do such a thing," Ki-Adi breathed. "It would not be possible in the short amount of time he has to do so, even if you say he is strong enough."

"Frieza moves fast when he wants to. I can't say it more simply then that. I just want to know what you idiotic excuses for fighters plan to do about him once we go onto the other side of the portal," Vegeta quipped quite angrily.

"You want a plan, Vegeta? Fine, I'll give you one," Obi-Wan hissed, clenching his fists together. It was all he could do to keep his anger down and from exploding in front of everyone. "Here you go then. First, we get back into _my_ universe. Next, we will go straight to the Republic capital of Courscant. There, we can tell the Jedi Council what is going on and who is behind all of this. By the time we are finished with everything, your powers should be starting to return to what they are in this universe. Last, we go after Frieza and the rest of them. Happy?"

"What if we cross Frieza's path on the way there? What if he finds us first before we find him?" Krillin asked nervously, glancing around at his friends.

"It is a chance we have to take, Krillin, like all the others we have taken," Goku replied, smiling slightly.

"Now, if there isn't any more questions, we can get this underway," Obi-Wan instructed, once again turning around to the ship. He strode to the ship, not even bothering to look back at them. The rest looked at each other with mild expressions on their faces before following, sealing their fate once again.

****

"Where are you leading me? We have been walking through most of the township by now," Amidala demanded, quickly glancing over her shoulder. She knew Panaka wasn't too far behind, concealing himself in the crowd of people that was still coming and going although there was less then there had been before. This was one of those times that she was glad that he was keeping an eye on her for she didn't know what this creature would do to her if she was actually alone.

"You will see soon," Cold replied nastily, his eyes staring straight ahead. He was starting to get quite annoyed by the female human's bothersome questions that had started several minutes before. That was basically all that came from her lips was questions about the Jedi, which planet he came from, or why he had never visited the planet that was called Naboo. _I should have kept my mouth shut and left her there to keep looking,_ The Icejin thought bitterly.

"Oh," Was all that came from Amidala's lips. At least, all that Cold had bothered to listen to. At that point, he really did not care what the other thought or was trying to tell him about this universe. All he wanted to do was get the trip back to Siddious's trip over with so that he could just get away from her. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Excuse me?" Cold asked, blinking his eyes. He turned his head towards the other, facing a blank space where the woman should have been. He stopped, turning around to see her standing behind him, her arms crossed over her chest. She had a pissed off look on her face as she stared at the one that was standing before her.

"I will take that as a no then."

"If you keep your mouth shut, then I could listen to you better. Do I look like I care what you are talking about?

"You should because it might one day be useful to you."

"Well, I don't. Now, let's go."

"Not until you tell me where the Jedi is. Only then will I go with you."

There was a dead silence between them, Cold beginning to look more uncomfortable then he had been before. _He_ didn't know where these foul creatures were much less able to direct her to where they were at the moment. He had no idea what laid beyond that of this planet nor did he have any knowledge of Tatooine itself. At this point, some of the truth wouldn't hurt her now.

"Like you, I don't know where they are. We both have to find them," He said finally. The young woman looked at him angrily, a pout coming upon her lips. 

"Well, that is nice to know now that you have lead me halfway across the township. We shall find them in our own ways then. Good bye to you," Amidala said coolly as she spun around. As she started to walk away, Cold narrowed his eyes at her, anger seeping into his body. At once, he lifted himself off of the ground, flying directly at her at a speed that took no time in reaching her. He picked her up quickly before she could go any further, beginning the accent into the air. "What are you doing? Put me down this instant!"

"No, I won't," Cold said, knowingly flying in the directing he wanted to go in, holding Amidala tightly in his grasp as he soared higher into the air. "Unless you want to die, then you need to stay in my arms."

"Who are you really? You aren't liked anyone else I have met before."

"I told you who I am."

"No, I mean what are you? Why haven't I seen or heard your species before? Nearly all of the planets of this galaxy are in the Senate, and I know I would have seen you there before. Why aren't you in it?"?

"Because...." Cold started, biting his lower lip. He stared straight ahead, the wind whipping at his face. _I might as well tell her more now. She already suspects me of being not of this universe or something even far worse,_ He thought to himself as his tail moved around the queen's stomach, holding her closer to him. ".....my kind do not believe in that kind of order. I am ruler of my people if you want to know."

"As am I, but my home world is part the Republic. If you say that you are the ruler of your planet, where is the lady of the ruler? What about her?" Amidala demanded of him. The Icejin narrowed his eyes more, the anger boiling more and more in his blood. She had finally struck a nerve that had been buried for a long time now; something that he had thought of, but not spoken of, for a while.

"Have a nice trip," Cold said, no emotion in his voice as he removed his tail from around her waist. He then let the girl out of her arms, flying away quickly. He heard Amidala's screams as he bit his lip, still traveling away from her falling body. _I can't believe this,_ He thought to himself as he made a quick U-turn back, not realizing what he was doing.

****

To Be Continued

__

Author's Note: The last part of this chapter (the one between Amidala and Cold) actually is one of my more favorite ones. It shows that, although Cold is evil, there is a part of him that knows he couldn't let Amidala die because of a question. : )


	12. Chapter 11

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. that is all.

****

Chapter Eleven:

It would be soon that the ship would finish moving through the last few miles of the Earth's atmosphere before moving into space that surrounded it. Not long after entering the void, it would take a little while longer to reach the portal that swirled not far from Earth itself. Moving through the portal in a big ship this one wasn't as bad as going through one smaller in size, like the two Saiyans had the first time they had gone into the other universe. There still was rattling of metal upon metal, but it would not be so bad in a ship of this size.

Even so, Vegeta sat on a twin sized bed in one of the rooms of the ship, his arms crossed over his chest. A scowl was on his face as she stared straight ahead at the metal wall that surrounded him, his eyes narrowed. A deep coldness surfaced in his eyes as he tried not to think about what was going elsewhere on the ship. Many of those that had come along on this trip were steadily trying to use the last moments they had in their universe to make sure they were ready to cross over into another place entirely. _I can't believe that I am going through with this or any of it is happening,_ He thought to himself. _Especially with those damn, so called Jedi._

At that point, he felt like he was living through his worst nightmare all over again. It seemed like everything from the past was now coming back to haunt him not only in his dreams but in reality. All the battles that were fought for freedom, either won or lost, seemed to be for nothing now. Every single detail loomed over him like a dark cloud on a rainy day. If this had been any other time in which he was fighting a new enemy, he would have embraced it with open arms. But, this was Frieza he was facing and there was nothing he wanted to embrace more then the Icejin's horrified look when the Saiyan killed him.

What had happened in the last few hours hit him like a ton of bricks. For once in his life, and certainly not the last, Vegeta felt scared although he wouldn't admit it. He didn't know what to do about the present situation. He would be fighting his enemy in a unknown universe which he had no control to what happened in there. Hell, at the present time, he didn't know what Frieza was capable of in this other realm. That had never stopped a Saiyan before and it would never do so in the future. But, just this once, he would let his emotions flow through his body before he faced anyone else.

Suddenly, a knock woke Vegeta from his deep thoughts. He blinked his coal eyes at the door before muttering something under his breath. Who would be disturbing him at this point, he did not know. Whoever it was, he hoped that person was prepared to face an angry Saiyan.

"Who is it?" He growled, standing up. The door opened as Obi-Wan stepped in without even looking at the Saiyan. He smirked at him, snorting slight. "Aren't you supposed to be piloting this piece of crap into the portal?"

"Hello to you too, Vegeta. No, Ki-Adi has the controls for now. Besides, he wants me to make a truce with you," The Jedi snapped, frowning in anger. He steeping in more, allowing the doors to close behind him so that no one else could look into the room. "As much as I hate it, I have to _make amends_ with you before we go into this."

"Cute. Very cute. What is next that he wants us to do? Surrender ourselves to Frieza?"

"I wouldn't mind surrendering you to the Dark Side for all that it would be worth. It would save me a lot of grief in the future. Besides, you would make a half assed Sith considering how stupid you are."

"What?" Vegeta huffed, a low growl forming from inside this throat. "Do you realize we are still in _my_ world?"

"We are too close to the portal for anything to work at the present time. I doubt your powers and my lightsabre would work right now," Obi-Wan shot back, his hands balling into fists.

"Is that a challenge or some lame excuse to get out of a battle?"

"It is better then what I have to listen to from you."

"As much as I would like to listen to more of this nice conversation, we are now right below the portal. I suggest you two get strapped in because it might be a bumpy ride like it had been when we came through the first time," Ki-Adi's voice came over the comm. system of the ship. Both Obi-Wan and Vegeta growled at each other before the Jedi stomped out of the now opening door, vanishing around a corner. Vegeta had to give a chuckle as he moved away from the bed, shaking his head as he did so. He moved his body over towards the door, his arms moving to his sides.

"After I defeat Frieza, that Jedi is next," He muttered under his breath as the door re-opened in front of him, allowing him to peer into one of the corridors of the ship. The Saiyan looked around the room one last time before exiting out, going in the direction of the cockpit. Maybe there he could continue the conversation he had with Obi-Wan.

****

It was like falling from her bed back at the Theed palace, but a lot farther to the ground and would hurt a lot more then that. Amidala felt the wind rush past her as she held her eyes closed tightly, waiting for the impact of her body hitting the ground. With her arms crossed over her face, she started to mutter words under her breath in a language she had learned years ago. Words that might help her get out of the present situation that she was in. She hoped that a miracle would just come and sweep her out of the mess she had created just by trying to find out where two Jedi were.

Suddenly, like the words had reached the right person, she felt her body being lifted upwards before a thump-like sound reached her ears. Amidala waiting for the pain of hitting the ground at a very high height to start kicking into her body at any moment. Yet, there was no pain that came into a body that was supposed to have been splintered by a fall like his. She slowly opened one eye to see what had happened to her only to discover herself dangling several feet away from the sandy ground.

"What the....?" She wondered as she lowered her arms to a hanging position next to her body. As she opened both eyes, the Naboo queen moved her head to figure out what in the hell had just happened. To her surprise, and somewhat to her joy, Cold's face was the first thing she saw. He was lowering himself onto the ground, his arms crossed over his chest as his tail held her off of the ground. "Well, it was about time you came. I was just about to make an imprint upon the ground here."

"Serves you right," He grumbled under his breath. He then placed her on her feet, giving her an angry look all the while.

"Was it something I said or asked?" She asked, pushing the Icejin's tail off of her waist. Giving the other a glare, Amidala spun around and faced him, her hands being placed on her hips. Cold did not answer her question as he met the girl's gaze, a snarl forming on his face. "I take that as yes from you. Explain to me what I said was so wrong in regards to having me dropped in the air like that. I have no clue as to why you did such a thing."

"Why should I have to explain everything that I do?"

"Because it will give me some idea as to what you have been going through. It doesn't have to be detailed or anything; just something that I would like to know more about."

"I...I..." Cold started, stammering out those words, quickly turning his gaze away. Amidala tilted her head some, her lips forming a thin line as she tapped her foot onto the ground. "....can't...."

"And why not? There has to be a reason why you dropped me at the end of a innocent question."

"It is too painful for me to talk about right now."

"Even so, painful memories would lessen that certain pain by talking about it."

"You wouldn't understand anyways, Padme."

"Try me," Amidala said with a fierceness in her voice.

"No, not now. Let's get going to where we have to go," The Icejin said, shaking his head as if he was trying to get the thoughts out of his mind. He quickly moved over to the queen, uncrossing his arms from his chest and letting his gaze turn back to her. Scooping up Amidala from the ground, Cold allowed his body to lift off from the ground once again. Then, like a bolt of lightening, the two left in a flash that left those who had watched what had just unfolded in shock, confusion, and awe.

****

Siddious sat behind the blinking controls of his ship, his eyes looking out into the desert planet of Tatooine. Almost sitting next to the near barren wasteland of a planet, a cloud swirled around in the voice of space. The portal was almost like a new system of planets that held together a new breed of life that was just beginning to form. However, it wasn't something that the Sith wanted to keep around forever. He knew that he had to destroy it at one point before anything else came through it that he didn't want to come through. What better way to do it while the Jedi were in the other universe if he could lure them into it. If they were to be trapped, then he would be able to rule his universe without the threat of being stopped at all by any meddlesome Jedi.

Sighing, Siddious leaned back in the pilots chair, his hidden eyes moving throughout the void in which the window allowed him to see. _I can sense some other life forces around here. Where they are, I can not pin point. They can't be stupid enough to have really going into the portal without any reason to. They should know what will happen if someone was to accidentally hit the portal with a blast from a ship,_ He thought as he eyed the swirling mass.

The Sith kept thinking as to why he had done all of this in the first place. Why he had even bothered to have help from people---no, _creatures_---that no one even knew of. After all, he was strong enough and had enough power to do so himself, but he found that it was not enough. Though the Sith generation had been strong in the past, it was not at the present time with the majority of having being wiped out by Jedi of the past. These Jedi had been the ones who had destroyed the great leaders of the Dark Side like it was nothing to them. Destroyed what he had worked on since he had offered his soul to the very darkness that had once plagued the galaxy. Now it was time to get the revenge he solely wanted to carry out.

Without warning, the sensors on the ship's control that indicated any ships passing by began to beep wildly. Siddious sat up quickly, his eyes moving across the panel then to the window. Like a cloud storm, another ship slowly appeared in front of his from inside the portal. Once it had cleared the mass of rubble, the metal hunk started to move towards the Sith's like it was about to collide with him.

"Damn Jedi," Siddious muttered under his breath, his anger flowing in him when he recognized the ship. The, he got ready to fire.

****

To Be Continued


	13. Chapter 12

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Twelve

Going through the portal once again hadn't been as bad as it was going through it before. The ship was a lot less shaky and didn't rattle those inside as much as it had done going through the other way. There were no reported serious problems, although several devices had lost power, but only for a few moments time. That was to be expected since the portal had a lot of electrical currents running through it. Obi-Wan made a mental note to observe and get more information on this when there was more time to be spared, but right now wasn't that time.

Then there were those that had not gone through the portal the last couple of times. Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha looked sick when the ship had moved through what was thought as the center of the portal, each closing their eyes to keep from falling onto the floor in a dizzy spell. It was all over with as soon as they came out onto the other side, everyone safe and counted for. Even Vegeta looked a little green when he entered the cockpit with the rest of them, although he did not say anything in the matter.

"Nice," Krillin mused once he had overcome the feelings of fainting, staring out of the glass window that sat straight ahead. He was standing by the controls of the ship, between Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi, his eyes wide with wonder. His eyes quickly moved over towards the desert planet of Tatooine before moving over slightly to the twin suns. "It reminds me a lot of our universe in a way. We could very well be in the same universe."

"Except for a few minor details, I would have to agree with you," Obi-Wan replied with a smile, pressing a few buttons from his seat in the co-pilot's chair. He turned his head sharply towards Ki-Adi, who was just staring straight ahead like he was in a trance. "Sensors have another ship inside our reach. Where it is, I don't know. I can feel something is about to happen."

"Straight ahead, Obi-Wan. It is a dark ship that blends in with space, so we can not see it clearly. There is someone dark that is piloting it," He said, his eyes not moving from the same spot. "And I know who it is that is watching us like I am watching him."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Vegeta said heatedly from behind them. "Blast it already and get this over with. Destroy the ship and you could very well destroy them all in the process."

"No, we can't. That would...." Ki-Adi started to say before a blast cut him off, the ship rocking for a moment before coming still once again. Alarms started to go off around the ship, sounding a warning signal out to everyone present. The Jedi quickly made not of all the readings that were simultaneously beeping out what was going in and around the ship. Everything was coming up upon invisible screens; everything except for the damage report, which looked like it had nothing to report from anything outside the ship's exterior. "What does he think he's doing?"

"I don't think we were hit," Goku observed from the back of cockpit. Obi-Wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes, also biting back the urge to scream something out that he knew he would regret later in his life. _This has been one hell of a day. I know that, at any moment, I will wake up and everything that has just happened will be just a dream. I will still be in the Theed Castle, going back early to Courscant to get more orders from the Council,_ He thought to himself as he pushed some more controls as yet another blast went past them.

"What in the hell does this person think he is doing?" The Jedi growled out as he spun around in his chair. He faced those who were in the back, his eyes glowing with repressed anger. "What could he be doing? Doesn't he see us?"

"Well, if you were smart enough to know that the PORTAL _is_ right behind us, then you would think that he is either trying to get someone from our universe or trying to destroy it," Vegeta snapped from the shadows of the back. The alarms died off not long after those words were spoken, everyone now able to hear better although there was a slight ringing in their ears. "This is how he probably got Frieza and his group from the dead. Now he must be going after someone else."

"Great. This is wonderful," Krillin grumbled, looking like he had just been slapped in the face. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"What is?" Ki-Aid asked, tilting his head to the side as he also turned around to face them. "Do you think he might be going after the one you call Cell?"

"No doubt about it," Goku said, sighing. He looked around, a grim look on his face. For the first time, and quite possibly not the last, Obi-Wan felt the fear from everyone in the room. Even Vegeta seemed to be radiating some of it as he stood there in the dark, possibly looking like he was the best thing in the two universes.

"We had better get to the Council as fast as we can. We need to tell them what has happened since we left," Ki-Adi said as he turned back towards the controls and started to move his hands over top the controls in which he steered the ship forwards.

"What about the ship and those that are on it? Aren't you going to stop it?" The irritated voice of Vegeta demanded as Obi-Wan turned around to face the void of space.

"We can't do anything right now, Vegeta. Your powers are useless in this universe, or did you forget already? Besides, I doubt we could do much damage to that ship right now. It outclasses this one by a great deal," Was the Jedi's reply as he kept his back to him.

"I don't need my powers to do damage to him. I have other ways of dealing with my enemy's."

"Whatever you say, Vegeta. If you want to go out and fight whoever is on that ship, with powers perhaps, then go ahead. I won't stop you from getting killed."

"Feh," The Saiyan growled, turning towards the door, which opened quickly to allow him to leave. He left the cockpit in a hurry, probably to do what the Jedi just ordered him to do, but had no means of going across many miles of unbreathable space to get to the other ship. Obi-Wan muttered something out, his hands griping the armrests of the chair he was sitting on.

"Calm yourself, Obi-Wan. Don't let your anger control your words and actions. You know what that leads to," Ki-Adi said in a soft voice as the cockpit doors closed tightly. The other Jedi did not say a word as he stared out of the window, allowing the anger to filter through his body.

"So, how far is it to this Council of yours?" Goku asked as he stepped behind the chairs. The ship was now moving past the other ship, which seemed to be ignoring them as well as it moved much more quickly towards the portal. There was a sinking feeling lingering in everyone's stomach that told them they were making a mistake to allow another person to come through the portal.

"It might take many hours to get there, but it won't be enough to get your powers back. We have to move past several other planets and stuff before we get to Courscant.," Ki-Adi answered, glancing over towards Obi-Wan.

"That long? It would take us a few _days_ to do that if we used a ship, even a Capsule Corp. one," Yamcha commented softly from his position in the cockpit.

"That is the beauty of this universe. We have hyper-speed. Hang on to something if you aren't used to go this fast," Ki-Adi said as he put a hand upon a lever and pulled it down towards the ground. Suddenly, the stars and planets became a blur as the ship shot forwards into space and towards their destination.

****

Cold felt the perfect warmth of Amidala's arms around his neck as he tried not to look at her or tried to think about things he shouldn't be thinking about. He now held her in his arms as he flew towards the spaceport where his son, Siddious, and Ginyu were waiting for him to return. Thoughts rang in his mind, the Icejin trying to push some of them into the back of his mind the best way he could. However, that was hard to do in any case with a woman holding onto him for dear life.

"Why won't you tell me what is wrong with you?" Amidala asked as innocent as possible. He felt her eyes upon him, keeping his own from looking into them. It had been a while since either one had spoken and it was a good thing as well. He probably would have dropped her again and, this time, wouldn't be there to make sure she didn't fall to her death.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it," Cold replied nastily, the buzz and clamor from the ship's docked ahead coming to his ears. "Besides, we are almost there, and I am sure you will be more interested in what might be going on there."

"I know that, but it would help if you talk about it."

"No, I can't. Like I said countless times before, it is...."

"Do I look like a give a damn?" Amidala cut in quickly.

"Probably not, but still."

After that, they lapsed back into silence, the township below them moving at a slower pace. Cold was moving much slower now since they were coming closer upon their destination, much to his relief. He didn't want to talk about this subject much more and hoped that the young woman would forget about it as soon as they landed upon the ground. He also did not want to talk about such a thing in front of Frieza, since he never knew what had really happened.

"I think I finally know what is wrong with you," She said suddenly. At that moment, Cold looked over at her with some surprise in his eyes. The second that he did, he regretted it. "I know I said something about...her. I am sorry that I brought it up."

"There is no reason why you should be," He said, quickly turning his gaze away. In his mind he was trying to think of excuses to tell her, but anything that he thought of seemed like he was trying to cover up something that he could not cover up any longer. "It was something that couldn't have been prevented. It was nature that took her away, nothing more."

"Tell me. How did it happen?"

"A few days after my youngest son was born. It was hard on her body and she knew that she wouldn't be able to live the same life she had lead before."

"I see," Amidala said softly, now wishing she hadn't pestered him at all.

"The hardest part was after....it happened. It..." The Icejin stopped, taking in a deep breath. He hated talking about this, but he knew that he eventually knew he had to. "Neither could my oldest son. He often blamed my youngest for what had happened, but not directly to him. He doesn't know how exactly it happened, he just knows something did."

"He knows something happened?"

"In a sense, yes."

"Why don't you get everything back to the way it was before? Or, at least, try to get it back as close as you could get it."

"I can't do that. One of the most important things in my life has gone."

"Even though she is gone in body, she is still with you in spirit. Just think about that for a while, then amend things when you go back home. It isn't hard."

Cold didn't say anything as the spaceport came into view, a pondering look crossing his face. _It is easy for her to say those things. I doubt she has lost anything to death or anything else. Even so, her words are wise for someone so young, _ He thought to himself. As soon as he was able to, he lowered himself to the sandy ground, Amidala squeezing his neck even harder then before. It would be a while before she would forget her near-death free-fall.

By the time the two had landed on the ground, Frieza had nearly finished stomping over towards them, Ginyu in tow. His son had a pissed off expression his face as the woman placed her feet onto the sand, her eyes looking at him with interest. Her gaze went back upon Ginyu, who looked right back at her with a light smirk on his lips.

"Where have you been? That...." Frieza started to say before he noticed the look on his father's face. He quickly dropped what he was about to say, his upper lip curling in a snarl before he repeated his question. "where have you been?"

"Somewhere in the township," He replied, the human woman taking her arms from around his neck. At this time, the small Icejin had noticed her and was looking her up and down.

"Who is this?" He asked with a hint of boredom in his voice.

"Padme of the Naboo, I believe."

"Interesting. Where did you find her anyways?" Frieza asked, looking back at his father. Amidala stared at him, her mouth dropping open in horror and disgust.

"Same place that I was at. She is looking for the Jedi as well."

"Really?" Frieza said, his eyes twinkling with renewed interest. He smiled at her, stepping towards the queen. Amidala backed up, her mouth closing as she looked up at Cold with wondering eyes.

"This is my youngest son, Frieza," Cold said, giving her a knowing look.

"Oh," She said, looking from one Icejin to anther. "Why are you three looking for Obi-Wan and Anakin?"

"Because those two are in alliance with several other creatures called Saiyans. I doubt you have heard of them," Frieza said icily, taking a few more steps towards her. "We need to destroy them along with these Jedi."

"What?" Amidala hissed, looking back up at Cold. He looked down at he, his lips in a thin line. "What did they do to you? Why are you going after them?"

"It is hard to explain, Padme," Cold replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, someone had better."

"We will soon. We just have to wait for our friend to come back," Frieza grumbled under his breath, his fists tightening into balls.

"Get back?" Cold asked questionably, a hint of confusion in his voice as he looked down at his son then back up to where the ship was. It was then that he noticed that there was nothing there but a blank space where a ship was supposed to be docked at. "Where did he go?"

"Back through that portal. He said something about getting something he forgot."

"Nice. We will just have to wait for him to come back," Cold said impatiently, looking down at Amidala, who was confused and angry at the same time. "I am sorry, Padme. I know you are waiting for information, but our friend has more of it then we can offer you. The best thing I can tell you is to wait a while longer for him to come."

"Why not? I've been doing nothing but for the past few days now," Amidala said under her breath, sighing. She just hoped that this was not a chase that would end up getting her into more trouble then it was worth.

****

It hadn't taken him long to go through the portal and back again once he knew what he was after. Now, Siddious stared at the portal once again from his universe, a smirk hiding from under his hood. A portion of a plan was forming as he started to piece together it inside his mind. _I just have to wait a little while longer. I know I had gone back too far, yet it wasn't for the worst. I had not prepared for this, but it will turn out even better then before,_ He thought bitterly as he heard someone breath behind, like it was just waking up. 

He swirled the chair around, his hidden gaze falling onto the small body that was beginning to sit up from the floor. There had to be a point where the Sith had to knock out this creature since it had been such a strain to take him out of his universe. It wasn't much of a blow to the head; just something to allow this thing to be out for not long. The creature was still in a daze as he looked up form under his own hood.

"What the....where am I?" He grumbled, his noticeable eyes glaring up at the other.

"You are on my ship on the other side of this portal. I had the pleasure of taking you from your universe into mine. Don't worry, though. Your absence won't go noticed. I am sure that they won't know the different between you and the droid I put in your place," Siddious replied with a chuckle. "It will act, talk, and do everything you do and will ultimately suffer from the same fate that you would have if I had left you there."

"How....do you know me?"

"I am a Sith. I can easily tell what you have done in the past with ease. Don't think that I don't know what you have done and all of the battles that had taken place. I was prepared just in case."

"Then get me back to Earth. I have a planet to rule!" The small creature jumped up to his feet, a low growl emitting from his lips. He could not have reached past Siddious's waist in height, his teeth baring at the other.

"I could kill you in a moment if I could. Just give me a better reason to do it."

"You couldn't kill me unless you wanted to."

"And why do you say that, small one? I am more powerful then you at this moment," Siddious said, standing up. He easily towered over the creature, who did not back down. "Your powers are useless at this point. That is, for a couple of days at least. At that time, you will have them back once your body has gotten used to the atmosphere of this universe."

"I am not talking about my powers, you idiot," The small being said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I am immortal, so there is no possible way you could kill me."

"Interesting," Siddious said, a smile crossing his hidden face. Suddenly, everything else was coming together even better then before.

****

To Be Continued


	14. Chapter 13

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Thirteen:

Everyone had gathered inside of the kitchen area of the ship, some muttering to themselves while the rest remained quiet. The ship had been placed under auto-pilot for the time being since they wouldn't reach the outskirts of Courscant for another several hours. This meant that any gatherings of everyone on board that was outside the cockpit would have to take place now or one of the Jedi would have to take them out of hyper-space and stall the ship until everything had been said. No one liked having to waste more time just to talk, so they would have to get some information now before they came in front of the Jedi Council.

"Okay, so he was firing at the portal and not us. I don't understand the logic behind that," Obi-Wan said, placing both of his hands upon the table as he stood in front of it. He, Ki-Adi, Goku, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, and Goku were around the small table that sat at one of the corners of the ship. Some were sitting down on the padded seat that formed a semi-circle around the table while the rest stood. The only one who distanced himself from the others was Vegeta, who was standing near the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

"I believe that is how whoever this person is has been able to get Frieza from our universe without having to go into hell to get him," Tien said with a small shrug. "It is a possibility that the portal can alter time if something was strong enough to hit it."

"That is a possibility, although we should have learned that we can't mess with time," Yamcha pointed out with a nod. "We know what happens if we do."

"But it wasn't us that was messing with any time-line or portals," Goku said. "I don't understand how the portal works or how anyone could just alter time by firing at something."

"We don't know exactly how it works either. We don't even know _how_ the portal could have appeared like it had," Ki-Aid added in. "There had been no indication that anything was being created there until about a few weeks ago when a huge mass started to swirl at that point. The Council had sent several of the best Jedi to get information on this portal, but none have returned."

"Let's just hope that Cell isn't the next one to come through it," Krillin muttered with a sigh. "You don't know how strong he is in his perfect stage."

"How bad could he be? The one you call Frieza doesn't look like he can do much," Obi-Wan said with a light shrug.

"You'll be surprised at what some can do no matter what they look like," Vegeta grumbled under his breath, one of his eyes twitching. Obi-Wan turned his head towards the Saiyan, an eyebrow raised.

"Entertain me then, Vegeta."

"Like you have probably been told before, Frieza is stronger then he looks. Much stronger. Even if he stays in his current form, he could probably destroy that planet he is on and everyone within several miles of it without even breaking a sweat," Vegeta shot back. "I hate to admit it, but Cell is even stronger then he is, so I will let your imagine assume things about him."

"Maybe in your world they are strong, but we are here in mine. It is a whole hell of a lot different then yours.

"Listen, you stupid human. I have seen more of what Frieza has done then anyone else in this room," Vegeta said, nodding to Krillin and Goku. "We know. We saw it."

"If Gohan hadn't stopped Cell that day, then we can only imagine what he could have done," Goku said in a soft voice.

"Right now, the Sith, Frieza, and whoever else is with them are not our concern right now. In several hours we will reach Courscant where we will talk to the Council about this," Ki-Adi broke in. "After that, we can concern ourselves with whatever, or whoever, is with them."

"What about Cell? I know you guys don't know his power, but we should still be ready," Tine spoke up, looking around nervously.

"Cell, or whoever that Sith went after just now, is not important right now. We have to get our orders from the Council before we can do anything else," Ki-Adi said, standing up. Whoever, or whatever, the dark one brought here, we will encounter soon enough. If you would excuse me, we need to go back to the cockpit."

He nodded towards Obi-Wan as the two Jedi turned towards the doorway that lead out into the ship. Vegeta shifted his body over some so that they could move out of the kitchen. As soon as the two retreated into the hallway, the Saiyan looked and followed suit, muttering things under his breath. The three of them left in silence, which all also remained in.

****

This was one of those times in which things seemed to either be looking up or looking down. Siddious did not know which way this situation was going to go as he pulled his lightsabre back towards his body and retracted the red beam. At first, he had felt good about killing something, but then the words he had heard only a little while before came back to him like a whip.

"What are you?" Siddious growled under his breath, clipping the metal, now unused hilt of his lightsabre back onto his belt.

"I told you that I am immortal," The creature said from in front of the Sith. There was a small h ole in the middle of his upper torso where the heat of the blade had gone into. Even as he spoke those words, the wound was beginning to close up with ease. He was staring straight at the other as he bared his teeth at him, his eyes flaring. "You could do everything in the known universe to kill me, but it won't work."

"I find that hard to believe even if it is true."

"There are things about me that you do not know and do not wish to believe."

"Apparently. However, like the others, you serve a purpose to me. I was going to go back for another, but if all works out, I won't have to."

"What others?" The creature inquired.

"Evil beings, like yourself, and are powerful. Yet, there is another I should go after," Siddious said thoughtfully as he turned around and walked to the controls.

"What is my purpose of being here?" The small one asked as he took his hood off, revealing his pointed ears. "I have other things that are more important then staying in here."

"Ah, yes. Your purpose for being here," He said, turning around to looking at his new friend. "As you can plainly see that you are no longer in your realm but in mine. There are these Jedi that I need to get rid of along with a bunch of others. Your skills are much needed and you will be rewarded if you help."

"Like whom?"

"From what Frieza has told me, I have found the two names of the two Saiyans that I have had the pleasure of meeting, but only briefly," Siddious told him as he sat down in the pilots chair. The other went closer to the Sith, his eyes narrowing as he wanted to know more. "The names are Vegeta and Goku. Both are....."

"GOKU!?!?" The creature screeched out, his eyes widening and flaring red. 

"I see you know this......'Goku'."

"Know him? He put me in the Dead Zone, but luckily I had been able to escape that prison. I want revenge on him and nearly had my chance to get his son when you pulled me out of my world."

"Listen, my friend. You will have your chance to do this. Goku is in my universe somewhere. You may have your revenge as soon as I get this other being from yours."

"There is no need to do that," The small creature said plainly. The Sith looked down at him from underneath his hood.

"Why is that?"

"I am enough. They can't put me in the Dead Zone again from where I am now," He insisted, waving one of his small hands. Siddious growled something under his breath as he turned back around to look out of the window of the cockpit. _I do not trust this creature. I didn't even trust my own apprentice when he had been alive. Even so, I still need more from this other universe then I do now,_ He thought as he looked out into the darkness of space as the portal loomed in front of them. Tatooine sat not far from it, the tan wasteland of a planet looking lost in a sea of stars and planets. _It would take several more days for the universe to rest. I can not wait any longer to get back onto track. I am going to have to deal with what I have now. By the time everything is ready, this creature will have his powers._

****

Siddious still had not returned from the depths of space, which made Frieza start to fume even more. He had started to pace in the area where the ship had once been, his tail thrashing wildly as he muttered something under his breath. Ginyu had walked off, mumbling under his breath about getting a drink from one of the cantinas. Cold were looking bored while Amidala looked from one person to another, her patience wearing thin from waiting even longer.

"Where is your friend?" She spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Stupid Sith or whatever he is. Just goes off," Frieza muttered under his breath, a little too loudly at that. It caught the young queen's attention, her eyes narrowing.

"Sith? What Sith?" She asked bitterly.

"Have you heard of this person?" Frieza asked, a wicked smile on his purple lips as he turned towards her.

"Heard of him? I assume, from what little the Jedi have told me, he was helping the Trade Federation to take over my home planet. How could you be on the side with someone so evil?"

"We _are_ evil. Anyone who has done anything wrong is evil," Cold said, his hand clasped behind his back. Amidala stared up at him, her eyes narrowing. "That is the way we have always been."

"After that little incident back there, I would have assumed you would have some kind of emotions. I was wrong. Or did you kill her yourself?" She accused him. The Icejin snarled at her, Frieza looking from his father to Amidala and then back again. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had."

"Shut up!" He hissed out, a low growl forming at the base of his throat as his hands came to his side and were now clenched in fists. Amidala smirked at him, placing her hands upon her hips.

"Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if you did. After all, evil do kill their own family to get what they want."

"Why would I kill someone I love?"

"Evil can not feel love. It can not feel any other emotion other then hatred."

"How would you know?" Frieza snapped, a wall of fire seemingly dancing around him. Amidala did not look over at him as she continued to stare at Cold, who stared right back at her. A wind moved around them, kicking up the sand that had drifted towards them from other parts of the planet. Those who were walking by them did not notice what was going in, attempting to ignore a dispute that should not involve them. In fact, they did not even care who had killed who unless it did somehow involve them. It was a part of Tatooine pleasantry not to butt into other people's business unless they really had to. It could result in someone being killed or something remotely close to it.

"I know because evil has no other objective then to make other people's lives miserable. They do not care what goes on as long as they get what they want," She replied finally after a few moments of silence.

"I loved her, and I still do. If I did, why would I kill her?" He snapped, raising himself from the ground. He did not wait for Amidala's answer before he flew off into the distance and away from all of this. The queen did not say anything as she watched him go, unaware that the other was now behind her.

"You wrench," Frieza whispered into her ear, his not breath moving along her neck. Amidala felt his tail wrap around her waist and bring her closer to her body. She tried to pry him off with her hands but found he was stronger then he looked."

"What did I do?" She demanded, glaring at him from over her shoulder. She hit his tail several times but he did not budge.

"That is one thing you do not talk about with my father."

"Why would you care? You are just like him," Amidala said before she leaned far enough over to bite Frieza on his tail. The Icejin let out a howl of pain and pulled his tail off of her, letting the girl go. He then brought his tail close to his eyes to inspect the damage she had done to it. By then, Amidala had enough time to find a escapable route and to use it quickly. Before Frieza could do anything, she had taken one last look at him and disappeared into the crowd.

****

Vegeta paced from one end of the cockpit to the other, his arms crossed over his chest with the same scowl he had on his face from earlier. Obi-Wan sat in the co-pilot's chair while Ki-Adi sat in the other, both busy with the controls. Ki-Adi ignored the Saiyan as monitored the controls and glanced up at the window every now and then to make sure that they did not run into a star or another planet. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, had more trouble tending to his own duties due to the face that he was continuously glancing over at the Saiyan.

"Can't you find somewhere else to do that?" Obi-Wan asked, giving him a hard look.

"I want to know when we reach this planet of yours. I am getting tired of waiting," Vegeta snapped, not even once stopping his pacing.

"We will tell you, Vegeta. Don't worry about that," Ki-Adi said without his own break in his own work.

"I have to worry about it, damn it. I have other interests to tend to at this moment."

"Does it look like I care?" Obi-Wan said, looking down at the controls to keep himself from unclipping his lightsabre and using it in a way that he would regret later. Vegeta stopped pacing and glared at the Jedi.

"You don't have to care. I just want to get this all done and over with as soon as possible."

"It will take a while for things to get done before we can do anything about it. You need to be patient and wait things out."

"Give me one good reason why I should."

"I will give you several," Ki-Adi put in, turning around in the pilot's chair. He calmly looked into Vegeta's pissed off eyes and spoke with ease. "One, we Jedi like to take things slowly. We know that if anything is rushed into, things won't get done. It only will make matters worse if we hurry things along. Second, it will most likely take several days for your powers to get themselves together. Even though your life energy is just like the Force, both are on different scales. One must get to the other's before either one can work. Third, we, as in everyone in this universe, do not know what Frieza, Cell, or whoever else there may be, can do. We need to see what they do first before we can act even though _you_ know what they are going to do. We don't."

"Don't you understand?" Vegeta hissed out, looking like he was about to tear the ship into pieces.

"Understand what?"

"If we wait, there is no telling what Frieza might do. There is only a little bit of time left before he decides he has had enough and takes over your universe himself."

"Don't you think we don't know that?" Obi-Wan hissed out, standing up slowly.

"Obi-Wan," Ki-Adi warned, giving his friend a look. The other Jedi waved him off, ignoring the warning he was given.

"No, he has a right to know."

"Know what?" The Saiyan asked broadly.

"My master was killed by that Sith's apprentice three years ago. No matter how much training I have had on how to let things go, I want the Sith's blood for Qui-Gon's. I know this is probably one of the best times to go after him since he is so close to us, but do you see me jumping after him? No. Even though I want to protect other Padawan's from losing their Masters in battles, there is no way I can guarantee that anyone can be safe," Obi-Wan said, turning his head away. Vegeta stared at him, trying to understand what the other was saying. "No matter where there is light, darkness is always there to throw it off course. It just takes time."

"Too bad," The Saiyan said dryly. The Jedi glared at him, pushing down the sadness that was beginning to well back up inside of him.

"You probably never lost someone or had a person die right in front of you. If you did, you probably would just stand there and let them die from their wounds. I don't think you have any compassion within you at all. Even if you did, I pity that emotion for it never has a chance to show itself."

"Look, I almost lost my future son several years ago to Cell. It could have resulted in his death and others if it wasn't for that damned half-breed child." Vegeta turned his back on the two Jedi, his coal black eyes staring forwards. He did not want them to see the tears that were beginning to form at the base of his eyes. "It was then that I realized that I could have lost something that was worth more to me then all the battles that I fought. For once in my life, I felt the anger towards something that was taking an innocent life away from me. Normally I would not have felt anything if it were someone else's child, but it was mine that....that....creature had harmed."

He uncrossed his arms, clenching his fists together in anger, a single tear running down his right cheek. He had held back everything since the times of Cell, but at that moment, the Saiyan felt that he could not longer hold it back within his heart. Everything that had happened started to run through his mind like a picture without sound. Vegeta closed his eyes tightly, watching everything go by quickly. Then he felt a hand being placed onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. Obi-Wan was standing there, a look in his eyes that meant he understood. They stared at each other for one moment, no one doing anything.

"I know what it is like. I lost Qui-Gon many years ago. That was the worst feeling in the universe. As Jedi, we are not allowed to show many emotions, yet we get away with it more then the Council knows we do. Every now and then, it is okay to show what you are feeling inside," Obi-Wan said as calm as he could, releasing the Saiyan's shoulder as he moved back towards the co-pilot's chair. He did not notice the expression on Vegeta's face as he sat down, the work that needed to be done consuming him once again.

****

To Be Continued


	15. Chapter 14

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Fourteen:

What exactly was going on in this whole mess she didn't know as Amidala ran through the crowded streets of the Tatooine desert town, pushing past people and looking behind her. She had to make sure that she wasn't being followed by the creatures she had been with, although she assumed neither one was willing to go after her now. Even though she thought she was some distance away from the space port, she still felt like she was in some sort of danger. There was a feeling deep within her that made her think how easily she could come across anyone that was working with the Sith, one of those creatures, or even the Hutts. She did not want to really think about that at this moment. She wanted to find the Jedi and warn them about what was going on.

First she had to find Panaka and tell him what she had overheard the two creatures saying. By this time, she knew she had lost him when Cold had taken to the air. Course, that didn't mean that he wasn't following her or trying to find her. Although they didn't give many details as to what was really going on, the queen had a strong idea as to what it involved. Neither Cold nor Frieza gave any names or reasons why they were after the Jedi except for the fact that two things called Saiyans were with them. As far as those two were concerned, it seemed like anyone or anything that was allied with these beings were to be killed instantly.

Amidala eventually slowed down far enough away from them, bending over to catch her breath. She placed her hands on her knees, taking in several deep breaths to get the sandy air into her lungs. Feeling a little more confident that no one was bothering to look for her, she looked behind her once again as she straightened her back slowly for she was still breathing hard from her running. Continuing to look behind her, she started to walk forwards, not even paying attention to what was going in front of her. Then, suddenly, she bumped into something that had crossed her path. 

She backed up quickly, turning her attention forwards to apologize to the person she had bumped into even though she knew it wouldn't help her much. Standing in front of her, a creature she had never seen before looked down at her with a snort. He stared at her, his arms by his side and a frown on his lips. There was something strange about this guy, even though she could not put a finger on it.

"Why don't you watch where you are going?" He said icily. Amidala could almost feel the same kind of anger and evil in the creature as she had with Frieza. Cold had been another matter, everything having to do with him as confusing as this matter was. _By the Force, please don't tell me he knows the Sith as well,_ She thought to herself as she gave him an innocent smile, placing her hands behind her back to complete the image of an ordinary peasant girl.

"I am sorry. It is just that I was running away from someone, and I didn't see you there," She said in a small voice, trying to sound like she knew nothing and saw nothing. The creature just looked at her with a strange look on his face as if he knew she wasn't telling the truth.

"Running from whom?" He asked just as innocently.

"I don't think it is any of your business. Besides, most of the Tatooine creatures around here don't need to know other people's business unless of course they are in league with the Hutts or some sort of bounty hunter. If you are, then I believe you don't need any information from me. I know nothing and have seen nothing," She said in a quick breath. He gave her a even stranger look as if he didn't know what she was talking about. Amidala took in a deep breath, her stomach going into a knot. She had to try one last thing before she got away from this person. "I don't think you are familiar with anything that goes in the Outer Rim or it's territories."

"Lady, I don't understand what you are talking about. I don't even know what a Hutt is much less what this 'Outer Rim' business you are saying," He informed her. Amidala took in a deep breath, gulping down what fear was lodged in her throat. What he had just told her confirmed the sinking feeling she had in her chest.

"Nor are you with this galaxy," The queen said, turning her body around as she widened her eyes without trying to give herself away. She could hear the creature walk up closely behind her as she tilted her head backwards to look into his face. He was staring down at her even harder, his lips now in a thin line.

"How do you know I am not from this universe? There is only a few that know that or would even bother to care," He said, his arms crossing over his chest. From the past experiences she had with other species and different situations, Amidala knew to either keep quiet or to tell whoever what she knew. If she did tell information that she knew, it would mean that other people would be in danger. If she didn't, her own life would be on the line. It wouldn't make any sense to give any lies at this point because she knew nothing. From what she could make out in the last couple of hours, the Jedi were already up to their waists in things to do and her life wasn't going to get easier. "Tell me, damn it."

"If I did, then you would take me back to Frieza," She said, turning around as she placed one hand up before he could question her. "Don't bother asking me how I know that name. Just imagine. I am sure that you have more then enough of a imagination to understand."

"I don't care how you know that name. I just want some answers."

"You want to know? Fine. I figured that out since you guys don't know anything, so you are not from this galaxy. If you are, then you would be from some backwater planet that doesn't know anything about the rest of the galaxy or hasn't been discovered yet. And, since I am going to assume that you know this Sith that Frieza had mentioned before, you are bound to be up to no good." She shrugged, knowing that any attempt to make anything out of this situation would just lead to more dead-ends. "Take your pick. I don't care. All I know is that I have had a long few days, and I am going to get a few answers myself even if it kills me."

"You could be of some use to Frieza," The creature thought, looking like he was thinking up a plan to take her back to where she had just came from. Amidala stared at him, sighing. _I figured that he would probably take me back to him. I just got away from that creep and now I am about to go back to him,_ She thought bitterly to herself. _But, then again, I could get some more answers to my questions and hopefully they could lead me to Obi-Wan and Anakin even if they _say_ they don't know where they are. Hopefully, everything can be placed together, and I can go back to Naboo._

"He could be of some use to me as well," Amidala muttered, straightening her back. Whatever was going to happen now, she was at least going to get somewhere.

****

It was an uneventful trip back into the upper regions of Tatooine's atmosphere if one would count the many times Siddious wanted to strangle the creature that he had brought into his universe. So many times he had fought the urge to turn around in the pilot's seat and wrap his hands around the being's neck, choking the life out of him. Then the fact of his immortality came back into his mind, often at the last moment. If he hadn't put his lightsabre into his chest and found out the easy way about that, Siddious would have long since dumped his body into deep space.

"Do you have any idea as to where Goku is?" Was the latest question the small creature had asked as Siddious stared straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the desert planet ahead. He was carefully navigating his way through the last parts of the atmosphere, being even more careful not to find ways around such a thing as immortality.

"I believe he will be close to Courscant, the capital of the Republic, in time which can only be told by the ship he is in and those who are piloting it. The Jedi, along with whoever else is with them, are already too many hours ahead of us to catch up with them. If we move towards Courscant, then we would have an opportunity to have our own little meeting with them," He replied, a hidden smirk on his lips.

"I am going to assume we aren't going to this place you call 'Courscant'."

"Not at this present moment we aren't. In time, we will."

"How long will it take for us to get there?"

"Depending on this ship, only a matter of hours. By then, some of your powers will be able to be used in this galaxy and you can use them to your liking. However," The Sith paused, looking over his shoulder, "that doesn't mean that you can use them to your full extent. I don't know what exactly you can do, but I am sure that they will be an easy target for you."

"Agreed," The creature said, smiling as he stood there, his eyes gleaming with the knowledge that he was about to get his own brand of revenge on those who had dared to cross him years before. 

****

To Be Continued


	16. Chapter 15

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Fifteen:

They hadn't been long in space, but long enough that the lapse of time seemed to go on forever. Even so, Obi-Wan walked down the hallways that lead to the kitchen area of the ship. Ki-Adi was still at the controls despite the offer to look over them for a few hours before they reached Coruscant by the younger Jedi. He had refused the offer bluntly, telling him that there was no point in taking shifts at the current moment. Ki-Adi then instructed the other to get as much information about any other threats as he could before they reached the Capital.

The Jedi sighed, stopped at the door that lead into the kitchen. It opened, reveling the small are of the ship that rarely was used. Anakin was standing on one side of the circular table while Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha sat on the couch-like seat that semi-circled the table. The outsiders were watching in amazement at the boy as he lifted several small objects from the table top. There was no sound from anyone the objects began to spin around lazily.

"Amazing," Yamcha said, waving his hand underneath the objects as if to see if there was anything underneath them that was holding them up.

"You will be surprised at what we Jedi can do," Obi-Wan spoke up, a light smile on his lips as he stepped into the room, the door closing behind him. At that moment, the objects fell to the table, some bouncing off of it and into the floor. Five seemingly surprised faces were now staring at him in shock as if he had made them fall. "I know you are surprised to see me."

"You could say that," Tien said, chuckling nervously.

"What brings you in here? Thought you had something else to do," Krillin pondered, still staring at the Jedi.

"Ki-Adi wants me to get some information from you about anything we don't know already. Personally, I think with all the hellish things I have seen today, it is enough for me."

"What kind of information does he want?" Yamcha asked, eying him suspiciously.

"Anything else that you think should be known," Obi-Wan offered.

"Well....." Krillin started, looking around as if he was unsure about what to say next. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"I basically want all information on any people, things, creatures, or whatever that you have fought and have won or lost in the span of the last five years. This excludes Frieza and Cell."

"What about the Androids and Gero?" Tien put in. "If this Sith person knows about Cell, then he'll know about the others."

"I don't know how many people he wants involved in this. I doubt little as possible without many people knowing what he is up to," Goku said with a light shrug. "Besides, Gero was the one who created Cell, making Seventeen and Eighteen so that Cell could go into his perfect form."

"Let me re-phrase that. I want to know about anyone, or anything, that you have fought in the last five year period. This excludes Frieza, Cell, or anyone directly or in-directly linked to them," Obi-Wan said, taking in a small breath. _Doesn't anything in their universe_ not_ revolve around these two?_ He thought to himself.

"That's tricky since a lot of creatures we have encountered have been linked to them in some form," Tien said, thinking.

"In the last five years and without linking them to Frieza or Cell in any way? That's harder done then said," Goku said out loud, scratching his head.

"Why don't you want us to mention anyone that has been working with these two?" Yamcha asked, narrowing his eyes at the Jedi.

"Well, it seems to me that anyone with Frieza is here. At least, willingly. This Cell thing doesn't seem like he would want someone else over him, trying to get him to fight things he doesn't want to fight. My conclusion is that 1. Whoever is stronger will encounter the Sith, be replaced with a droid or something similar, and taken here, 2. The person has to have a very high desire to want to take something over, and 3. Hates Goku or one of you with a passion and wants to kill that person. All in all, the Sith would want to stay within the five to six year radius due to the fact that Goku or one of you probably fought the most strongest of the creatures, people, or things in that timeline." Obi-Wan took in a deep breath, saying most of that in one to two breaths. "Does that sum up everything?"

"I don't think that there is anyone like that who isn't here now," Goku said, smiling like a small child. At that moment, Krillin's face went pale and he looked down at the table nervously. There was, in fact, something that should have been mentioned a long time ago and he knew it.

"I wouldn't be sure about that, Goku," He said, his voice trembling just a bit.

"Why not?" The Saiyan asked, turning to his friend.

"Didn't Gohan or Piccolo tell you? I don't think Chi-Chi or the others remembers much." Krillin's eyes moved up, his face looking more nervous then his voice sounded. "I'd thought that Gohan or Piccolo would have said something, so I didn't."

"Tell me what?" Goku asked, a blank look on his face.

"Well, a little while before you came back from space, we had a little visitor show up. He wanted to know where you were, but you weren't around, so....."

"Look, just tell us who it was so we all will know," Obi-Wan interrupted, glaring at him.

"Well, Goku, don't be surprised," Krillin laughed nervously, trying to delay what he had to say, but between Goku's look and Obi-Wan's glare, it didn't work like he wanted to, "but Garlic Jr. was a little more then ticked off when you weren't around, so he went after the closest thing."

"WHAT?!" Goku screeched, standing up. He pounded the palms of his hands onto the table as it shook underneath his weight, a almost wild look on his face. "How did that happen? I thought we sent him into the Dead Zone all those years ago!"

"Apparently, so did we," His friend said. "But, there he was, trying to take over the world. Again."

"What exactly happened?" Anakin asked, confused. Krillin scratched his head, smiling just ever so slightly.

"Should I start from when we put him in the Dead Zone the first time or should Krillin start with his return?" Goku asked.

"Make it a long story, short," Obi-Wan said plainly. "But I only want to hear what happened the second time around."

"You are going to have to understand how he was put into the Dead Zone in the first place."

"Go ahead," The Jedi sighed. "Just make it quick."

"Okay, Garlic Jr. makes a wish using the Dragon Balls, which makes him immortal. There is a big fight between me, him, and Piccolo, a portal opens up to the Dead Zone in which he tries to put us into, and Gohan puts him into it instead," Goku said, then looking over towards Krillin for the rest.

"Several years after that, apparently the entrance to the Dead Zone is open again. He comes back, nearly destroys Kami's Lookout, makes the people of Earth go evil with the Black Water Mist, the portal opens again, ,and he is sent back into the Dead Zone again by Gohan, this time forever," Krillin explained quickly. "There you have it. A long story made short in under two minutes."

"I think I am more confused then I am knowing," Obi-Wan said, looking around at those who were inside the room.

"There is more to our universe then you think there is," Tien said, trying to hide his smile. Obi-Wan sighed, looking lost.

"I can tell this is going to be a long couple of days."

****

Like they had done so in the past, the twin suns bore down upon the desert of Tatooine like two eyes from the heaves above. Even with the steady high temperatures, many creatures went on with their business as usual like nothing was wrong. The heat was nothing to those that had lived their wholes lives in the desert. The newcomers would get used to the 100 plus temperatures in the time that they would spend there, often vowing never to return because of this factor. There were other things that most people were more worried about then the sun's above. A hell of a lot more considering this was a Hutt occupied planet.

It was easy to become lost in the town of Mos Eisley, or any other Tatooine town for that matter, especially when you do not want to be found at all or don't know your way around. The Hutt's were the only real thing that some had to watch out for but at times not even the slug-like creatures were a threat to those that did not want to be found by them. Cold found this out as he wandered along one of the many streets, his eyes looking blank. Many people and creatures shoved past him, barely even giving him a glance. Who wouldn't? A seemingly ten-foot Icejin would make anyone turn the other way.

He didn't know exactly where to go. The universe that he was in had it's mysteries that he wanted to solve. Before, when he was in his own plane, everything was easy to him. Nothing was out of place and everything was as it should be with barely anything going wrong. Now, things were not as they were and he hated that. Not that taking over a part of a universe wasn't at all without it's rewards, but getting used to a new plane of thought was going to get a lot more time from him then he wanted to give.

Cold sighed as he panned his vision over the crowds of different creatures. That was one thing that was similar to his universe in a way. There was a diversity of aliens that made blending into a place such as this so likable and so easy to do. Anyone could blend in with anyone else if they wanted to. A small, forced smirk came to his lips as he thought of owning half of this universe.

Yet, that was not the only thing that was upon his mind. What Amidala had said to him only a short while ago still filtered through his thoughts. Normally, he would have either degraded anyone on the spot or killed that person instantly without thought, but the things tht girl had said pained him to no extent. There was nothing worse that could harm him other then what she had said. _Damn her. She knows nothing of pain and probably will never feel it,_ He thought bitterly as he continued on, not knowing where he was going to end up at.

****

Amidala felt the wind rushing past her as she carried, yet again but this time more unwillingly, towards Frieza. This time, she knew a lot more then she did before, which would help her a little bit more. There were, however, still things that needed to be cleared up before she could take anything else into her mind.

There was a matter of figuring out what Frieza and Cold really were. To her, they looked like a pair of lizards that had been put through a series of tests gone wrong, with height and a voice added to that. Then there was the fact that the Jedi had not told her anything when they knew it might concern more then one system of planets. That made her wonder if they were more involved in this then what they were telling her. She made a promise to herself at that moment to make them talk once she found them even if she had to keep nagging them. That is, if she ever found them.

"When will we be there? I am tired of being carried around like this," The young queen said, yawning up at the one that was carrying her. It had been determined that it would be much easier to fly back to the space port rather then walking and would take less time to do so.

"Be quiet. We will be there shortly," He said hastily, not even looking at her. _I should get used to this rudeness,_ She mused quietly to herself. _After all, it seems like that is all I will be hearing for a while._

"Sorry for asking," She muttered, turning her head forwards so her long hair went into the wind. "So, tell me this much. What really brings you to Tatooine?"

"That is none of your business."

"Well, it seems like it doesn't really matter anyways. I can tell I won't be around much longer considering Frieza would want my head on a platter."

"Why do you want to know anyways?" The creature asked, still not even bothering to look at her. "There really isn't anything to tell you that I know."

"Just to ease the mind of a young girl that was never told anything," She informed him, glancing down at the ground below her. She shuddered at the thought of plummeting back down there again, quickly moving her eyes back up to the destination ahead.

"There is nothing to tell you that Frieza hasn't. You didn't even need to know those finer details in the first place."

"Don't give me a straight answer. I've been hearing that for the past several days," Amidala said icily, lapsing into another round of silence. That was all that was said as they continued to fly ahead, looking for anything that resembled Frieza or the space port.

****

To Be Continued


	17. Chapter 16

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Sixteen:

Siddious had landed the ship not long ago and was instantly greeted by a not so happy Frieza, who looked more angry then he did when the Sith had left. Somehow, it seemed like something had taken place down upon the planet just like something had up in the space above. Siddious wasn't going to ask what had happened just yet as he explained, rather calmly despite the fact that the Icejin was flaring up in anger, what had taken place in front of the portal.

"What was the point of doing that?" Frieza demanded as he crossed his arms once the other had finished speaking. His tail moved rapidly in anger, moving the dust and sand up from the ground. "We can handle it on our own."

"To be honest, you need all the help you can get," Siddious said, his hands clasped in front of him as if nothing was wrong. "Those Saiyans you have talked about constantly seemed stronger then you think. With the Jedi, it seems like something you could not handle. Besides, this creature as an advantage over them."

"Like what?"

"He's immortal. I've tested it out already, so don't bother trying." 

"How did he get immortal?" Frieza asked, probably already knowing the answer to that.

"That was the question I wanted to get answered, but haven't been able to get a straight answer out of him," Siddous replied with a forced chuckle.

"Hmpf," Frieza grumbled in response. "Well, we are going to have to wait even more. My father is out somewhere again and Ginyu still hasn't returned."

"Where did your father go again?"

"I don't know, but he was worked up over that woman he brought here."

"Woman? What woman?" The Sith inquired, a hint of panic on his voice.

"How should I know?" The Icejin shrugged. "She was picked up by my father from some cantina. She claims she knows the Jedi and was a little more then surprised when the subject of a Sith was brought up."

"Amidala," Siddious hissed out, turning his head away from the other.

"Her name was Padme if I am not mistaken. I believe my father said that was her name."

"Perhaps that was the name of a handmaiden she gave to you instead of her real one," He answered coldly. Even with the hood that protected him from the outside world, there was more then one emotion he did not want to show. "That gives us another advantage. I think this is going to work out smoothly for us."

****

Standing above the skies of a planet in a different universe, a single figure stood watching over it. His arms were crossed over his chest, his eyes staring down at the planet that was so far away from where he was standing. He was not scared of falling down onto the hard surface since there was no way that he could. It seemed like he had done this thousands of times in his life but, in reality, he hadn't. It was just that feeling he had that he had been there for longer then he actually had. 

His cape fluttered behind him as someone stood several feet away, a wooden staff in his hands. Both had pointed ears, pink and green skin, and piercing eyes. Each had their own powers as one was a fighter while the other was a healer. But, the boy had less experience then the older one and still had a few things to learn. He was watching the other with interest like he had so many times before, but this time there was panic on his face. A panic that noted the small hint of fear that was inside of him. He had a small idea on what was going on but he did not know the full extent of it.

"What is going on, Piccolo?" He asked in his soft voice, biting his lower lip to refrain from talking any more.

"I still do not know, Dende. I feel so many different power levels going in every direction. I do not know where they are coming from," Piccolo answered in a gruff voice, his eyes narrowing. "I can sense Goku and the others moving somewhere, but even that is faint."

"If you have to leave, go. I won't be alone up here."

"Not yet."

"Piccolo, if this is about leaving me here by myself, then don't worry about me. They probably need you more then I do. Besides, what can happen in the short time that you are gone?" Dende asked gently. The older Namek slowly turned his head to the younger one, a hard, unreadable expression on his face. "I think this has something more to do with something that doesn't concern the Earth. I can watch over it."

"Dende....."

"Piccolo, go. Mr. Popo can help me if I need it. He has helped the other Guardians. Go," Dende snapped, pointing over the ledge that allowed them to look down upon the Earth.

"Fine, but I won't be gone long." With those words, Piccolo quickly rose himself from the marble floor of the Lookout, his cape still blowing in the wind. With one last look behind him, he took off towards one of the few places that he knew where to look first.

****

Vegeta stared out of the window of the cockpit, his arms crossed over his chest tightly. He watched as the stars, planets, and moons moved quickly past the ship, his eyes catching what some looked like while he passed others up. Even though ship was going at this rate of speed, he could still see what was going on among the stars. His training allowed his senses to be more aware of what was going on then they had several years ago. He, like Goku, could see things better then what normal people could not see.

"When will we be there?" He demanded sourly, his eyes narrowing at the window. There was no immediate answer to his questions as a few moments went by. Then, after what seemed like five minutes, there was one.

"I would say another six and a half hours before we reach Coruscant," Ki-Adi said as he sat at the controls of the cockpit, his eyes also staring out of the window. He didn't need to look at the Saiyan standing next to him to give him his answer. There was no need to.

"Can't you get this piece of crap to move any faster? There are more important things to do then wasting them in flying."

"No. This is as fast as we can go until Obi-Wan can install the new hyper-drive, which will be done in a few months. Or, if you want to, try to invent some other hyper-drive that allows ships to go faster in the time that we have to get to the capital, by my guest. However, for right now, this is as good as it gets. You are going to have to be patient just the like rest of us," The Jedi said as calmly as he could.

"I don't want to wait, damn it. I want to get this all over with as soon as possible."

"Well, that's not my problem," Ki-Adi snapped, trying to keep control of his anger. _Now I know why Obi-Wan got so worked up over him,_ He thought as the ship sped ahead, hoping to reach their destination before anyone else did or someone was really going to give Vegeta a piece of their mind.

****

As dusk settled in on Tatooine, the heat started to drop down but only about ten or fifteen degrees. It would be cooler in shade and at night, but the shade was few and far between while the night gave little peace. It was somewhat cooler now outside but that did not help much to those who were suffering. The desert planet was a endless cycle of dunes, sandstorms, and heat as there was no end to it for the rest of the planet's lifespan. Yet, some enjoyed the heat and took that as one of their advantages to living on one of the most dangerous planet's in the known galaxy.

Cold noticed the slight drop in temperature as he continued to walk on, still seemingly lost amidst the different creatures of the planet. Despite the cooling down of the night, there were fewer people out and more shadows appearing in their place. Normally the changeling would just shrug this change off and continue on his way without much thought. Without his powers, though, there was no telling what was going to happen. _I am stronger then these creature. I am not supposed to be afraid of them, _ He thought bitterly as he was given glares in response of wondering glances by the few people that were still out. _I know I have to get back to Frieza. I don't know when or where we will be going next._

Cold slowly raised himself from the ground, not caring if there was any commotion going around him. There was no point in getting worked up over that since many of these people were too drunk to remember it in the morning. After all, flying was part of what he was used to and one of the few things that he could do. He was actually surprised that he could do something like this in the new universe. He knew that his powers couldn't work to the level that they had before he had gone through the portal. He figured that some things were automatically on the same level as the so-called 'Force' the Sith had talked about.

As he got up to a level that he could easily look over the township, his eyes spotted something in the distance. It was a small figure moving in another direction, looking somewhat like Ginyu. Cold squinted his eyes, a wondering look crossing his face. Perhaps it was or something else, but he had to make sure it wasn't someone on the other side that was going towards the space port. Raising his hand towards the unknown flying object, the Icejin felt the warmth of energy flow into his palm before releasing it. It moved towards the flying creature at a rate that it would just barely miss it.

Cold hoped this wouldn't spark any more conflict that had already gone on.

****

"You know, I am getting really tired of flying. I know that I am whining but I rather have my fee on the ground then be carried by some unknown creature," Amidala snapped at him, her eyes looking longingly down at the ground below her. She had actually gotten used to the aspect of flying and thought it was a gentle ride to her already sealed fate.

"Unfortunately, due to the fact that I don't know anything about this planet or the township we are in, we are going to have to fly until we find them. That could be a while, so be quiet," He snapped at her, quickly becoming irritated by her every comment that had been said for the last ten minutes.

"Great. That means your plans will be delayed even more."

"When we get back to the ship, there won't be much you would be able to say."

"I honestly don't care. It is not like I haven't been in this situation before."

"Listen, just be quiet and...." He suddenly stopped talking as his body moved back just as a flaming fireball came past him, barely missing him. He looked around for a moment, a surprised look upon his face as he tired to locate where it had come from.

"What's going on? What was that?" Amidala asked quickly, knowing that he probably didn't even know what it was either. It took him a moment before his head stopped moving and a smile moved onto his lips. He turned his body in the direction in which the fireball had come from, moving his body towards it.

"I think we just found someone, which is either Frieza or Cold," He explained. "Either one of them could be at the space port right now, close to it, or know how to get back to it better then I can."

"I'll gladly go towards Frieza, but not Cold," The queen said icily, crossing her arms over her chest. "I rather not be around him."

"It would be hard not to be seeing as he is a part of the group," He answered with a short laugh. Amidala grumbled something under her breath, keeping quiet for the rest of the trip towards Cold, her fate becoming a little bit worse.

****

To Be Continued


	18. Chapter 17

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Seventeen

They sat in silence in what seemed like forever, the only noises coming from the ship and the engines. No one was talking nor making any moves to do anything. They couldn't find the words to say what was really going on since they had been spoken already. Other then the humming of the ship, there was nothing. No sound. No moving.

Obi-Wan shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot, not liking this silence at all. He stayed near the door for a reason unknown to the rest of them and perhaps even unknown to him. He was just nervous about this situation, that was all. They were coming upon Coruscant and he didn't know what would happen after their meeting with the Jedi Council. 

He knew that those they had just met probably would probably be the only ones that could get them through the foreseen darkness ahead. They were new to the galaxy, which he already knew unlike the rest of the galaxy, and could easily blend in with the rest of the creatures until the ruins of battle were spread out. However, once they went to their assumed full level of ascended power, they would be known as more then just outsiders.

"Can someone please talk?" Obi-Wan demanded sourly, breaking the silence that had been there for what seemed like hours.

"About what?" Tien asked, moving his three eyes towards the Jedi. He, Yamcha, Krillin, and Anakin were sitting around the small table in the middle of the kitchen, their bodies positioned at different places on the seat that nearly surrounded the table itself. Goku, on the other hand, was standing on the other side of the room, his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes watched everyone in eerie silence.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Just say something before I lose my mind."

"Well, there isn't much to say," Krillin muttered, looking lost at the aspect of conversation. "We've already said everything that we could say."

"Not everything," Obi-Wan objected. "I want to know why Frieza and his followers is so intent in working with the Sith and his full power."

"Knowing him, he probably accepted a deadly promise from the one you call a Sith."

"Like what?"

"Like ruling a part of this galaxy or even beyond," Goku said, his silence breaking. "Like we've told you before, Frieza and his father have already had some of our universe in his grip. Course, that was before I defeated him the first time and Trunks defeated him the second time. His father wasn't too far off."

"Who is this 'Trunks?" Anakin wondered.

"That is hard to explain," Yamcha said nervously.

"Try us," Obi-Wan challenged. "It can't be any worse then trying to explain to a Hutt how to rule his crime industry."

"Well, he came from the future in a time machine that was created then," Tien started slowly. "He was the one who gave us plenty of warning about the androids and Dr. Gero. After the Cell Games, he went back into the future. The future that we _would_ have had if he had not come."

"See? That wasn't so hard."

"He's not done," Krillin interrupted. "He is also the son of Vegeta. At the time that he first came, Trunks was a year old, give or take a few months."

"A baby defeated Frieza?" Anakin asked, a look of pure disbelief on his face. Krillin shook his head on that.

"No, one didn't. See, Future Trunks was around twenty or so when he came," He explained more carefully. "The other Trunks was about a year."

"Okay," Obi-Wan muttered. "I don't understand, but it could be worse."

"I think you need to tell us about this Sith instead," Goku insisted. The Jedi moved his eyes to the Saiyan, a sigh escaping his lips. "You haven't told us much about him."

"That is the problem with Sith. There isn't much to tell you. The Sith are a mysterious, dark type that work in the shadows. They have been gone for millennia, so there is little records left to have a perfect idea as to what they are like," Obi-Wan started to explain. "This one appeared about three years ago during the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo. At least, made his presence known to the Jedi. How long he had actually been around, I don't know. He may have been around for longer then anyone knows."

"You are hiding something," Yamcha accused, eyeing him. "I can tell."

"Hiding what?" The Jedi asked, staring back at him. "Anything you want to know you can ask."

"Then why don't you tell us more about this Sith?"

"What can I tell you that will satisfy you? There is too little I can give you right now. All we know is that he trained his lost apprentice well in the Dark Arts. That one is dead along with my master, who tried to stop him."

"Okay, then. The Council of yours," Tien spoke up. "Will we be able to meet them?"

"Yes you will. Just don't expect them to be any more helpful."

"We are nearing Courscant. We will be inside the atmosphere in the next hour and at the landing platform in two hours. Get yourselves ready," Ki-Adi's voice came over the comm. system, breaking off any more conversation that might have taken place if he had not interrupted. The room became a pool of silence again, Obi-Wan's and Yamcha's eyes locked together in this.

****

"Why are you going towards him rather then trying to find our way back to the port? I rather have you let me go," Amidala snapped out, her eyes narrowing at him. They were closer to Cold now then they were before, moving more swiftly towards him. She saw it in his eyes, the horror of reaching someone like the Icejin, but did not comment on it.

"Because I have to," He said plainly. "If you rather freefall to your death, that is fine, but I won't be the one who does it."

"Wonderful," She grumbled, closing her eyes. The wind whipped against her face, her long braided hair moving backwards towards the horizon. Somehow, flying like this made her body and spirit less tense then it already was. Everything that was going on move out of her mind and own onto the sand beneath her. _Maybe someone will catch my worries and have to deal with them instead of me. Just maybe, _She mused to herself.

Suddenly, the wind around her stopped moving as if the planet had stopped rotating. She felt a jerking motion as she put her around the other's neck, her eyes snapping open. She looked around for a moment before her eyes fell upon the suspended Cold, who was looking more angry then she had seen him before. His dead eyes were upon her, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Where is Frieza, Ginyu?" Cold demanded fiercely.

"In the same place he was before, I believe," Ginyu replied in a dry voice. "I was going towards him, but them....."

"I know. What is she doing with you then?"

"She ran from Frieza a little while ago. I figure she might be of some use to us."

"I doubt that. Drop her for all I care." Cold waved his hand as if he really didn't care. "Maybe she will get lucky and someone else will catch her before she plummets to her death."

"You wouldn't dare kill me," Amidala said stiffly, her eyes staring intently on Cold. The Icejin moved a little closer to her, a snarl on his lips.

"And why not?" He demanded. "I should have let you fall to your death the first time I found you. It would have saved me a lot of trouble then."

"You should know by now that the only thing standing between you living and dying is me," She spat out. He stared at her blankly.

"Meaning what?"

"The Jedi wouldn't _dare_ kill you with me in your grasp. Besides, I'd bring them, along with anyone else who is with them, to you if they only knew I was with you," The queen explained. It was a long shot, probably eventually getting herself killed in the process, but at least it would give her more and better answers then she had in the past.

"She has a point there," Ginyu commented. "She could be more of a use to us alive then dead. At least, for now she is anyways."

"I know that," Cold snapped. He then looked the queen up and down, his eyes glazed over with the anger and pain inside of him. He turned his back to them, regretting letting her live a second time almost the instant that he did. "She will live, for now. Just don't expect me to be nice later on."

"I don't plan to," Amidala muttered as she was carried in Ginyu's arms, the two flying towards Frieza and the space port.

****

It had been some time since the ship had reached the limits of Tatooine's inner atmosphere, but it had not yet landed upon the surface. Siddious was keeping the ship hovering above the outer limits of the township of Mos Esiley, far enough away from the space port, for the time being as he watched the tiny creature pace back and forth in front of him in total silence. He was going to keep it this way until he got what he wanted.

In the meantime, the creature had taken his hood off, his pointed ears twitching silently. That happened every so often, a sign that he was either really angry, annoyed, or plain bored. Neither Sith nor creature had spoken more then five words since the ship had moved through the layers of atmosphere, each wondering what was going to be said next.

"Say something," Siddious snapped, now becoming more impatient with the silence then he had before.

"Why?" The creature asked, not stopping his pacing. When Siddious didn't respond, he smirked and bowed his head. "Whatever you want to know or hear, it will come soon enough. I'm waiting myself."

"For what?"

"Goku," He answered. Siddious sighed, on the verge of sending this creature back to the other universe to let the natives there deal with him in any way that they could.

"You'll have to wait just like everyone else who is after this Goku. Just tell me a few things and perhaps we can get to this person faster," The Sith said. The creature stopped pacing and looked up at him with his mischievous eyes.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly.

"Who are you?"

"And that is relevant to getting closer to Goku because why?"

"I am not going to keep referring to you as 'It' for the rest of this."

"My name is Garlic Jr. Happy?" The creature growled. Siddious raised a hidden eyebrow but did not question this answer.

"What are you then?" 

"Meaning what?"

"What kind of species are you?" The Sith explained, trying to keep the exasperation from his voice. "A Jawa? Ewok?"

"I am a Makyo-jin, you idiot," Garlic Jr. snapped. _Whatever that is,_ Siddious thought to himself.

"I want to know why you are after Goku."

"I told you already several times. He and his brat sent me into the Dead Zone. At least, his brat did."

"I see," Siddious said, making a mental note to stop going through the portal to get help. Before he could ask something else, Garlic Jr. held up one of his small hands, indicating that he was already tired of this questioning.

"That is enough," He said, lowering his arm. "I want Goku."

"You will have your chance soon enough, my friend. You just have to be patient," Siddious said, turning back to the controls. It was time go back to the space port and gather the remaining bits of the mismatched party.

****

Frieza had started his pacing again in front of the space port, his arms held behind his back. He was growing impatient with the events that were going around him and he was still no where near getting the Saiyans in his grasp. He was tired of having to wait for people to get ready so that he could eventually go after what he wanted. He already lost his father to the crows of aliens twice already, not knowing when he was going to be back. The Sith was still no where to be found, although the Icejin knew that he wouldn't be gone for much longer since it hadn't taken them too long to reach the planet's surface.

He grumbled things under his breath, annoyed that he had to wait even longer then he had before. _Why do I always have to wait for things to be done?_ He thought bitterly, his ruby eyes narrowing. _I would have found those Saiyans by now and would have been in the process of killing them now._ Frieza stopped pacing long enough to look in the sky, his eyes blinking in the fading light from the twin suns. Two figures were descending towards him, one of them holding what looked like someone else in his arms.

"About time," He mumbled, Cold being the first who landed on the ground in front of him with Ginyu following suit. Frieza saw that he had the young woman from earlier in his arms and was a little shocked to see her there. "What do we have here?"

"It is not like I really wanted to do this," She snapped at him, removing her arms from around the other's neck. Ginyu took this time to remove his arms from underneath her, making her fall onto the ground on her backside. She let out a cry, glaring up at him as she quickly stood up and rubbed the spot where she had fallen.

"Why did you come back if you didn't want to?"

"It is the only way I though of that I could find the Jedi," She hissed him, wiping any remains of sand off of her clothing.

"Yes. That is one way to catch them," Frieza muttered sarcastically, a half smile creeping onto his lips. He then frowned, turning to his father. "Why did you leave?"

"You should know why," Cold snapped, his eyes going over towards Amidala. Frieza didn't say anything to this at first, then his frown deepened.

"That doesn't matter. We are ready to find the Saiyans," He said, turning around to look around the space port. "Unfortunately, our 'friend' hasn't arrived back from space."

"I thought I saw a ship hovering over the outskirts of the township, but it could have just been the trick of the desert," Ginyu said. Frieza didn't say anything, narrowing his eyes at the blank space that the Sith's ship should have been. His patience was wearing thin, his options directing themselves to other means of getting what he want, no matter how deadly they would be.

****

This was the last resort he had come to and he was not that happy with doing it. Even after going to the obvious places, like Master Roshi's island and where the Son homestead was, Piccolo had been no closer to finding what was going on then he had when he was on top of the Lookout. Of course, Chi-Chi gave the information that eventually lead him to Capsule Corps.

It was there that he met up with Mrs. Briefs, who offered him milk and cookies. Even after turning down the offer several times, there was no way around it other then to tell her that he was there to see Bulma and was stressed for time. That seemed to work for the time being as he was directed towards where the geniuses of the household did their work.

Bulma had explained the things that Chi-Chi didn't already snarl loudly, but it wasn't enough to explain the odd feelings he was getting. He couldn't explain it, not even to the woman. She didn't have much to tell him in the sense of what she already didn't tell him other then the fact that there was more bad news.

"I am sorry, Piccolo. Goku and Vegeta had taken the last working ship through the portal," Bulma said as she and Piccolo now stood in front of the building of the Capsule Corp. complex that housed the computers and such, her hands on her hips.

"How long will it take for you to fix one?" Piccolo demanded, his pink and green arms crossed over his chest. His cape laid perfectly still on his back, his shoulder pads jutting out from his body. His purple training clothes kept him warm most of the time, even during the long winter months. His white and purple turban overshadowed a green, scowling face, his pointed ears the only thing coming out from under it.

"It will take at least two weeks to fix the major problems with the ship with the least amount of troubles with it. Even then I can't guarantee that it is half workable," She admitted sheepishly.

"Damn it, I don't have several weeks," The Namek growled, already at the end of his patience. "I need to go through that thing Goku and the others went through."

"What is so important about that damn portal? It's making everyone go crazy," Bulma said, pressing together as she leaned towards him.

"My guess is that Frieza is over there and probably not alone."

"Frieza. Why didn't anyone say that before?" She asked sarcastically. "I know Goku was muttering something about seeing someone from his past over there to Krillin."

"I wasn't sure then, and I am still not."

"Well, if they come back through the portal again, then they can tell you first hand."

"What? They've been back already?" Piccolo's eyes went wide as he slowly dropped his arms to his side.

"Yes, they did. Must of forgotten to tell you that," She said with a light shrug. "They came back in this crazy looking ship that crashed about several miles outside the city. They were three other people, whom I think they called themselves some kind of knights." She looked thoughtful for a moment then shook her head. "Anyways, like I said before, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha went with Goku, Vegeta, and those three strangers back through the portal. They were also mumbling something about Cell, Gero, and the androids."

"No, it is not them. I can faintly sense something else, but I just can't place it just yet."

"Do you think it is something else that you guy's fought before?" Bulma asked, a small hint of worry in her voice.

"I believe so. Who, or what, I don't know." Piccolo looked up at the sky as if he could see the portal swirling in the space above the Earth's atmosphere. "And I plan on finding out."

****

Vegeta had his eyes closed, his back leaning against one of the side walls of the cockpit where he had stayed for the majority of the trip. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head bowed to the ground. He had been listening to the soft hum of the controls and the breathing of Ki-Adi for at least an hour now, which placed him into a trance-like state.

He heard the doors to the room open and someone walk in from somewhere else inside the ship. He didn't open his eyes nor did he utter a sound. He would keep his silence to himself and his thoughts in his head for the time being, but he did listen to the conversation.

"Did you get any new information?" Ki-Adi's voice asked the newcomer.

"Not much, really," Obi-Wan's own voice replied. "So far, I have managed to get out of them nothing new about Frieza or anything related to him. I do believe that they don't think that Cell is what the Sith was after."

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive. I have already come up with the conclusion that this Cell thing isn't one of those creatures that would go out of it's way to defeat Goku. At least, have a very strong desire to kill or badly hurt him or his son." There was a pause as if the Jedi had to catch his breath. "I believe that any creature that has encountered Goku or one of his friends in the last five to seven years and has come back for a second or third round is with the Sith now. Frieza is one of them."

"Is there any other's that will be one of them?"

"Krillin mentioned something about a person named Garlic Jr., but I don't know if he was brought into this realm yet or not. However, I wouldn't be surprised if it was him that the Sith had taken out from the other universe just a little while ago," Obi-Wan said. The Saiyan heard the squeak of the pilot's chair move as he opened his eyes just a bit to see who was where.

"How bad is it?" Ki-Adi asked.

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know. From what I gout of it was that this creature used what they called the Dragon Balls to make himself immortal. He was then sent into a place called the Dead Zone at least twice, the second time for good."

"Immortal?" The other Jedi asked slowly. "Even if it was possible, it would make things a bit harder then they are now."

"I wouldn't be worried about it right now. The Sith may not have brought him in yet or miscalculated on something with the portal. If he did, I don't see how he could be a problem since I don't see how a bunch of small, round objects can make someone immortal by wishing upon them."

"Shows what you know," Vegeta muttered. He opened his eyes to see Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi staring at him as if they had not seen him before.

"Have you seen these so called Dragon Balls before?' Obi-Wan asked, trying to keep his voice calm and level.

"More then once and another kind. There isn't just the Earth's Dragon Balls," The Saiyan said, nodding.

"I wonder," Ki-Adi mused, leaning back in the pilot's chair as his eyes darted from Vegeta to Obi-Wan.

"What?" Vegeta demanded sourly.

"Would the Dragon Balls work in our universe to help us get rid of the intruders?"

"I don't know and I don't care," Vegeta snapped.

"What are you suggesting that we do?" Obi-Wan asked, raising a eyebrow.

"When we reach Coruscant, you could take a small ship and go back through the portal. Then, when you land on Earth, go after these Dragon Balls. It would be something to find out about."

"I wouldn't know where to look," The Jedi admitted sheepishly.

"Then take one of them with you. They should know where they are located," Ki-Adi said, nodding over towards Vegeta. Obi-Wan looked in the Saiyan's direction, a forced smile on his lips. Vegeta looked from one Jedi to the other, an unconcerned look on his face.

"I told you before, I don't care. Besides, it is not worth going over an entire planet just to find seven Dragon Balls," He snapped. "I don't even know if they have been used in the last year. It would take a while for them to regenerate. Plus, it would be worthless to use something like that to our advantage since there are certain side effects that might cause worse problems."

"You just don't want us to collect them, right?" Ki-Adi said knowingly. 

"What's the point of using them if there wouldn't be a half decent fight for our lives?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short by the look on his companion's face. He quickly shut his mouth, turning his head to the wall that held no Saiyans. One idea was worthless while others seemingly were ready to be used.

****

To Be Continued


	19. Chapter 18

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Eighteen

"I don't trust them," Krillin muttered more to himself then anyone else in the room, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes set towards the ground. Everyone had stayed where they had been after Obi-Wan had left a half hour before, no one else saying a word to each other until now. Anakin had slinked out ten minutes earlier, having to assist with the soon-to-be landing onto the planet of Coruscant. A few thought, unspokenly to each other, that it was something else that was not a part of this mission. No one dared to say anything about it nor did they want to have the young boy go to the older Jedi about anything that was going to be said. In fact, it was a joy to have him leave so that they could talk about things that only concerned themselves.

"Neither do I, Krillin, but we have to," Yamcha said with a yawn. "They are the ones who are taking us to this new planet. If we showed our mistrust in them, they would have stopped at any lone planet and left us there."

"Like we don't have a choice in trusting them," Krillin responded. "I am sure that we did when we first started out. We don't know half of what they know and they won't even tell us."

"They probably know even less then we do," Tien put in. "They don't know what a Super Saiyan is or what Frieza and the others can do, but they know more about this universe then we do."

"Well, I don't want to find out what else is lurking outside this ship," Krillin grumbled, standing up from his seat as he placed his hands upon the table top. "For all we know we could be in a trap. How do we know we haven't been circling around the portal for the last several hours?"

"I don't think that they would keep us in here for that long. Even if we were going in circles you would think we would have hit something or been spotted by other ships," Yamcha said.

"I don't know. Their equipment and their universe is different then ours. Course, that doesn't mean anything."

"We can trust them," Goku said suddenly. He had still chosen to keep himself half way in the shadows of the room, his arms crossover his chest and his back on the metal wall. He had watched his friends wander around the room and bicker with each other, all the while staring at things that they probably would never see again for the rest of their lives. "They don't seem like the type to do something."

"You always believe that there is something good inside of everyone," Krillin told him. "What makes you believe them?"

"What made you guys trust Trunks the first time you met him?"

"Well, um," Krillin started, sitting back down. He couldn't answer that question since he didn't know what the answer actually was. 

"We have to trust them," Goku finished, not waiting for his friend to answer him. "Right now, they are our own link to getting answers and getting home."

"Besides, we don't know how much stronger Frieza is now," Yamcha said thoughtfully. "It's been about five or six years since you fought him, Goku. In that time frame he could have gotten stronger."

"He could have. For all we know he have done a lot of training."

"Idiot," A familiar voice hissed from the doorway. All eyes turned to it as they saw the shadowy form of Vegeta standing near it, his arms also crossed over his chest and a half knowing, half sneer on his face. "You don't pay any attention to things, do you?"

"What do you mean, Vegeta?" Krillin asked.

"If you had you would have noticed Frieza's form," The Saiyan said, speaking directly to Goku and ignoring everyone else.

"What about it? I noticed nothing different about it," Goku answered, confused.

"Idiot. When Frieza came to Earth he was half cyborg, which all of us, except for you, saw. Most of his body had been destroyed when you fought him and when Namek blew up. He was also in his fourth form then and also when you were fighting him on Namek. When we encountered him on Tatooine, he was in his first form and there were no traces of metal on his body. It was like the whole battle hadn't even happened."

"So what you are saying is that the two to three year time frame from when Namek blew up and when Trunks came means nothing to us? And the time frame between that and the androids?" Tien asked, turning his attention away from one of the gadgets in the room.

"It does. We don't have a damn thing to worry about anyways. A pair of Super Saiyans should do the trick to wipe out Frieza and the rest of them," Vegeta said with a smile. "And, this time around, it is _my_ turn to kill him."

"Sure, Vegeta. You can have him this time," Krillin said, rolling his eyes. "Frieza isn't the thing I am worried about. I know one of you guys can take him out easily. It is the other one that I am more worried about."

"I know, Krillin," Goku said in a low voice. "There is nothing we can really do about him in this universe. We can't put him in the Dead Zone again from here. We are going to have to figure out how to get around it. Find out another way to destroy him."

"But how? He is immortal and, if you haven't noticed by now, we aren't."

"Don't worry about it. When we encounter them then we will go from there. Until then, there is nothing for us to do."

"Then we are going to have to find something to do. At least, I am. I am not going to sit around and wait for this mess to fix itself," Vegeta snapped, turning around and walked the few steps towards the door. The metal opened up and the Saiyan slinked out, leaving the rest to decide on what to do next.

****

"What exactly are we going to tell the Council?" Obi-Wan asked as he sat in the co-pilot's chair. The planet of Coruscant hovered in front of them, the noticeable outline of the planet-wide city zig zaging across the planet's land. they were close enough to see it and a lot of the lights that went along some of the skyline of the large city. This planet had a man-made atmosphere that allowed the people to breath the much needed air due to the fact that there wasn't anything else to make breathable air. 

The current city itself probably had been built on top of cities of the past that had been long since abandoned yet there were few who were willing to dig up what had been left behind. Those that did often did not return, probably buried underneath the rubble that crumbled from overtop of them. 

"We are going to have to tell things that we know, which is little," Ki-Adi said blankly as he pushed some buttons on the control panel to get the ship ready for entering the first few thin layers of the atmosphere. "There won't be too much to tell."

"It would be hard to keep some things from coming from Anakin's mouth. I've learned that the older he has become, the harder it is to control what comes from it," The Jedi mumbled, half to himself.

"There isn't much you can do about that. I know how some of them want more actions then answers." The other Jedi turned his domed head to his companion. "I know that the Council will want to talk to our new friends personally."

"From what little time they have been here, I see Vegeta won't be as nice as the others have been," Obi-Wan sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Vegeta does something."

"Don't forget that they might not have these assumed powers back yet. But, then again, a day in our universe could be like a month in theirs or vice versa," Ki-Adi advised, turning back towards the window. "We don't know exactly how quickly their powers will come back. The two to three day period is just an estimated guess. We have never seen someone from their universe before."

"Let's hope that they come soon, if they have any. We don't know who or what else is with the Sith right now."

"That is our second problem we will have to worry about, Obi-Wan. We first need to make sure that Vegeta doesn't do anything that would endanger anyone else."

"If the rest of them for that matter," Obi-Wan muttered, his eyes trained upon the lingering planet that sat peacefully in front of them. He hardly noticed that his Padawan had come into the room, handing a data pad to Ki-Adi. There were other things on his mind at the moment and those things were barely allowing him to concentrate on the task ahead. _If I die in the next couple of days, it will probably be because of Vegeta,_ The Jedi thought bitterly to himself, shaking his head to clear these thoughts. Then he started to press several buttons on the controls, getting ready for the landing that hopefully would bring more good then anything else.

****

"I can't believe I am doing this," Amidala grumbled out as she was hoisted down one of the few hallways of the Sith's Ship, Cold being the one who had to carry her under one arm. Siddious had landed the ship inside the space port only moments after Ginyu, Cold, and Amidala had come back from their trip around the township of Mos Eisley. It hadn't been fun watching the looming ship landing and opening it's ramp, fear finally setting in the young queen's stomach.

Cold had a disgusted look on his face as he carried her down the corridor, not really wanting to be near her much less carry her. In front of them, Darth Siddious walked, his body shrouded in the same black robe that he always wore. He had his hands clasped in front of him, thoughts and idea's running through his head. He didn't even dare to look back at what was behind him.

"Pity that you have to," Siddious said curtly.

"There are other things I rather be doing," She said. If she had known this situation had involved a Sith before she had met Cold, then she would have never agreed to go with him in the first place.

"You know, I should kill you, but I figure you are more important to me then anything else."

"I know that I am. I figured that out even before you came. I am just the bait."

"Or the trap." Siddious stopped walking, Cold doing the same. He turned around, his eyes seemingly glowing from behind the darkness of the hood. He looked down at the girl, a scowl hidden in the darkness of his hood. "Maybe the Jedi sent you out, knowing that you would get more information then they would. Somehow, you appearing on Tatooine around the same time the Jedi and the Saiyans disappearing isn't something that looks right in my eyes. There is something that isn't making sense."

"Saiyan? What's a Saiyan?" She asked blankly. She vaguely recalled hearing something about a Saiyan earlier, but she could have been mistaken. "I don't know what you are talking about. I haven't seen any Jedi for at least four to five days and the only reason I came to Tatooine was to see the Padawan."

"That is more then enough time to come up with some sort plan with the Jedi. You, Your Highness, are just the kind of bait they want us to catch and anything that you tell me will not deter my thoughts."

"Now why would I do such a thing?" Amidala asked innocently. Siddious let out a half growl, half hiss before turning away from her. He didn't say anything to her as he slowly moved his eyes around the corridor that lead to hell knows were. "Are you going to answer me or what?"

"Shut up. I'm thinking," He snapped back at her.

"Well, hurry up. I would like to have my feet on the ground before I forget how to walk," The queen said, glaring up at Cold who, in turn, ignored the comment and the look. Siddious snickered, his eyes lighting up with an idea.

"I will play along with your little game, Your Majesty," The Sith said, turning back around to face her. "It is time to send our friends a little message."

****

It took some more time, but the ship eventually landed with ease upon the platform that hovered above the Coruscant skyline. There was another ship on the other side that was waiting for them, a transport that would lead them to another part of the planet. Two people were standing a little ways from this transport, watching the oncoming ship land with ease. They stood there for several more moments as the landing gear was placed properly and the ramp started to come down. Once it opened all the way, they walked towards the ship, ready to greet those who were coming out. 

It took several moments for Ki-Adi, Anakin, and Obi-Wan to come out, a slightly grim look on the two older men's faces. Not long after they put their feet on the platform did Vegeta, Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien come out, a few paces in between each. Some were looking around, amazed at the sights of Coruscant while Vegeta looked like he was about to do something the Jedi feared he might do.

"I see that you have made some new friends along the way," Mace Windu said, stopping as his fellow Jedi did the same. He gave the two Jedi a fleeting smile before it disappeared back into a thin line. The group of hero's walked towards the now four Jedi and a Padawan, stopping in front of them with less then happy looks on their faces. Vegeta stayed towards the back of the group, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

"If you would want to call them that," Obi-Wan muttered, moving his eyes towards the Saiyan prince who, in turn, glared back at him.

"Interested, we are, of your journey," Yoda said, limping past the three Jedi and up to Goku, who looked down at the small Jedi with interest. He blinked his eyes at this, tilting his head to the side. "You think I have no power because I am small, do you not?"

"Uh," Goku stammered, blinking his eyes again. He didn't know what to say to this, instead he looked more innocent then he should have been. Vegeta snorted as he kept his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes looking away from everyone. Yoda moved his attention towards the other Saiyan.

"Have little patience, this one does," The Jedi commented easily. "Dark cloud hovering over him, there is."

"What damn dark cloud?" Vegeta growled, his eyes moving towards Yoda. Goku gave him a look to keep quiet but the other Saiyan regarded it as nothing more then a passing glance.

"We can continue this conversation when we reach the Temple. The transport can lead us there," Mace said, quickly giving Ki-Adi a glance. He turned around, leading them to the small transport that was resting patiently for them to return.

"Just hope that they don't get anything back today, Ki-Adi. This planet might not survive if they are great as they say," Obi-Wan whispered to Ki-Adi as they followed Mace to the transport. Ki-Adi stole a quick glance over at Vegeta, who was looking like he was ready to blast something into hell.

"No, I suppose it wouldn't be the right time to get them back. At least, until Vegeta learns how to control his temper," He replied easily. "But I don't think that would happen any time soon."

"We shall see," Obi-Wan said lightly, silently hoping that this was still a dream.

****

To Be Continued


	20. Chapter 19

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Nineteen

Siddious had spent the last thirty minutes of his own life to place his loose ends together around the room that he had, a long time ago, chosen to his last plan in, now hating every passing second of it. The rest of the time he had spent trying to pull a half workable astromech droid from the small cargo space that was underneath the ship. Making sure that this damned thing still could record a hologram message was a challenge that lingered around him; getting the queen of Naboo to cooperate with him would be another. She hadn't been, and still wasn't, the easiest person to get information out of, especially the things he needed to know about the Jedi. He would worry about that in due time.

The Sith sighed as he knelt down in front of the astromech, trying impatiently to get the droid to work the way he wanted it to work. He had thought, so many times before and certainly not the last, that not having a living apprentice was hell, perhaps even worse and then some. When he had his last apprenticed, Darth Maul, Siddious barely had to do anything for himself except for things that he knew he could only do himself. Now there were things that he had to do himself that he didn't do before, even almost down to the last dirty detail. 

He knew that he had those, whom he had taken from the other universe and others from this one, to do what he wanted them to do yet he didn't need them at the moment. Besides, he had thought while he had pushed and pulled the droid from the cargo bay, they wouldn't have to know how to do much of anything in this place until the right time. Later down the road, he would have _some_ use from them.

"My patience is lost. We need to go after them NOW!" Frieza's angry voice flittered down from the entrance of the room. Siddious turned his head over his shoulder to see the Icejin standing near the door, his hands on his hips and a pissed off look on his face.

"We will get to them in time, my friend. Right now I have to finish this so that we will be able to get them in our grasps," The Sith mused, turning back to the astromech.

"That is not good enough," Frieza said coldly. "We haven't even left the planet."

"We won't even need to leave the planet now if we can get them to us. We have time."

"You are stalling."

"Stalling what?"

"Everything," Frieza fumed, his ruby red eyes flaring up with anger. Siddious ignored the Icejin's growls and rising power level, mostly due to the fact that he couldn't feel it. He figured that the others would be coming to the small room soon to see what Frieza was screaming at and his rising temper. He didn't care that much since none had little to no say in this matter. _Let them come,_ He thought bitterly.

"Things take time to do," Siddious muttered, narrowing his hidden eyes at the astromech. "Damned thing."

"Can you worry about that piece of machinery for another time."

"I need it now in order to get our friends into our grasp."

"Stop stalling," He hissed, his small body shaking with anger mixed with his own power. The metal doors behind him opened, the towering form of Cold bending down to enter, looking as calm as anything as if nothing was going on. Next was the form of Ginyu, who was watching Frieza with a raised eyebrow. Garlic Jr.'s small figure was the only thing not visible as the door slid to a closing position behind them, all now in the room except for the queen.

"What is going on?" Cold demanded, looking down at his son with little to no concern.

"He is stalling," Frieza growled, pointing half heartedly towards Siddious. "We haven't even left the planet yet, much less do anything else besides getting that woman back."

"And I am trying to get things done to get those damned Jedi back to this barren wasteland," Siddious snapped back, jiggling the droid several times. Garlic Jr. peered from behind Frieza, his ears pricking up at the sounds in the room. His eyes stared blankly at the astromech, his head tilting tot he side.

"What is that thing?" He asked, pointing to the droid that sat in front of the Sith, motionless.

"It's a astromech droid. It's perfect for recording holograms, which I am trying to do here," Siddious explained impatiently. He'd wished that they would stop asked the stupid questions that they were asking since he had brought them there. It was bad enough that he had to explain things to them every few moments without another round of questions trying to be asked.

"Halo-grams?"

"Yes, holograms. Recorded images. I am going to send one to the Jedi Council, telling them I have the queen. In return for her life, if she is still alive by then, I want the Saiyans and those three Jedi. No more." He smiled to himself. "I believe they have reached Coruscant by now."

"What about those Jedi you seek? What are we going to do with them?" Ginyu asked. The Sith sighed, rocking the astromech one last time before what little lights there were flickered on and a few beeps went off. He smiled faintly, standing up to turn around and face them.

"I'll deal with them myself. You can deal with the Saiyans," Siddious said icily. "Now, where's the queen?"

****

"This universe you are from is strange," Mace said lightly as he leaned back in one of the plush chairs that made a semi-circle around the room. The rest of the Jedi Council was seated in the same exact seats, Ki-Adi among them, their gaze fixed upon the small group of warriors that stood in the middle of the room. Behind the Council members, a long glass window allowed them to see the setting sun of Coruscant that was shimmering down behind the sky rises. Obi-Wan and Anakin ignore this feat, having seen the sunset so many times before in this very room as they stood near the doorway, watching everything unfold.

They hadn't been in front of the Council for very long; perhaps no longer then a half hour. To them, it seemed to have gone by very slowly while the group from the other universe explained, as best as they could, their universe. Surprisingly, Vegeta added in very little to the conversation, often trying to correct Goku when he thought the Saiyan was wrong.

"No stranger then yours," Goku replied, nodding his head. "We still have some unanswered questions."

"Some of which were not asked. If they hadn't, then we wouldn't need to be standing in front of you," Vegeta grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes wandering over the skyline. Goku sighed, looking over towards him. "What kind of power does this Sith hold?"

"Remain unanswered, your question will be," Yoda said softly from his seat next to Mace.

"Really?" The Saiyan said, a eyebrow raised. "Why is that?"

"Because, like Obi-Wan and I have told you before, we don't know the full power of this mysterious Sith," Ki-Adi said from his own seat. "We saw a portion of that certain power three years ago. Even then we didn't know what we were dealing with. If we knew, we would've told you by now."

"You don't need to worry about this so-called 'Sith' any more," He said, snickering. "You have a pair of Super Saiyans to do it for you." He nodded over towards Goku. "As much as I hate to admit it, he has the power to probably destroy this planet. But, because of the lack of power right now and his own heart, he wouldn't."

"And the rest?" Mace asked, looking over towards Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin. "Why are they here?"

"Don't mind us. We are here for the show," Krillin mused. "We don't have a chance against Frieza as it is. He could kill us without even trying. The rest, well, we would probably have a better chance at defeating them."

"I don't even want to know why you are even here then if you won't do anything," Vegeta growled at him. Krillin didn't say anything to that, a look of anger washing over his face.

"We are here just in case you get your ass kicked by Frieza," Yamcha snapped at him. "You know you wouldn't do much of anything to him."

"Look who's talking."

"At least I didn't get the crap kicked out of me by Cell."

"Okay," Goku grumbled, moving his head between the two of them. "We didn't come here to do this kind of bickering. We came here because we need some answers." He turned his gaze to Mace. "Isn't there anything you can tell us that we don't already know?"

"If there is anything else that you _do_ need to know, I am sure that Obi-Wan and Anakin can help you with that," Mace said sullen. "If you are as strong as this one says you are, then we don't need to worry about much. I would like to see what this 'Super Saiyan' is."

"You really don't want to know," Krillin mumbled softly.

"Only two are there?" Yoda said quietly. Tien shook his head.

"No, there isn't," He said. "Goku's son, Gohan, can go Super Saiyan."

"Where is he then?"

"At home. My wife wouldn't let him come," Goku said innocent like, a small smile coming upon his lips. Vegeta rolled his eyes at this, trying to suppress a snort in the process.

"Well, let's see the Super Saiyans then," Mace urged him, folding his hands in his lap. "Can you at least do that?"

"Sure we can. It is just our energy attacks that don't work." Goku shrugged, looking over at Vegeta. He snorted this time around, uncrossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"Fine. It shouldn't take us long to do this," Vegeta grumbled, taking in a deep breath. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, like a earthquake was happening right underneath the Temple, the floor and walls started to shake, the windows rattling behind the Council. Some of the panes of glass cracked around the edges as wave after wave of energy started to flow from the two Saiyans. The power from this made small chunks fall from the ceiling above as Goku and Vegeta's hair and eyes started to flicker gold and cyan. It took them several moments to get to their Super Saiyan level, at which point some of the Council Members looked more confused then amazed. "Well? This suit you enough?"

"Very well," Yoda said, not impressed with this transformation. A low mutter went around the rest of the Council, except for Ki-Adi.

"Do you want us to go further then that of a Super Saiyan?" Vegeta asked.

"There can't be a level beyond that of a Super Saiyan. It could be impossible, even for you," Obi-Wan said, trying not to show the mock shock that was on his face. Ki-Adi bit his lower lip to suppress the urge to laugh, instead a soft chuckle escaped his lips. Vegeta gave the Jedi behind him a glare before turning his gaze back forwards.

"I don't think going pass this level is a good idea, Vegeta," Goku said, his hair and eyes slowly coming back to it's normal black color as the cyan drain from his eyes. Vegeta did the same, keeping his transformation for a few moments longer before his power level plunged back to it's normal state and his body went back to it's original form. 

"What do you suggest we do before we seek out the Sith?" Tien wondered.

"I think that we should wait this out for the time being. See what the Sith does first," Mace said. "In the meantime, I suggest that you become familiar with the customs of this planet and to keep your tempers cool. We do not know what will happen as much as you do." He then nodded towards Obi-Wan and Anakin before nodding towards Ki-Adi. "These three will help you adjust since they are the ones that traveled with you."

"Whatever," Vegeta grumbled. "Where do we begin?"

****

To Be Continued


	21. Chapter 20

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Twenty

The night sky of Coruscant shined down upon the Jedi Temple from above, what little stars that could be seen glimmered like jewels on the bottom of a ancient river. There were still lines of small ships and transports that went across the skyline, each going at the speed in they could, and perhaps what they wanted to, go at. On the streets, many creatures were walking among the tall buildings, several of the shops and bars already closed for the night. Several lights from the high-rise buildings themselves flickered on and off as people came and went in the many rooms that were inside each.

Obi-Wan stood outside the main entrance of the Temple, his bluish gray eyes staring up at the star-filled void that looked back down upon him. His arms were at his side, his body still with his head tilted towards the heavens. This was a moment of peace for him, where he could get that moments rest before diving back into the hectic and uncontrollable live of a Jedi Master. There was no Padawan he had to teach as he stood in his own little world that held no care. There was no problems he had to take of or worry about. There was nothing that could remotely bother him. It was just him and him alone. That is, until the unrestful Force brought him back from his world and into the unknown reality. A reality that he still didn't want to face. A reality that was becoming more and more like a fantasy then what it really was.

"The stars are shining brighter tonight," A voice said calmly from next to him. Obi-Wan snapped out of his daydreams, turning his head over to the right to see Ki-Adi standing next to him, his hands clasped firmly behind his back as he also stared up at the night sky.

"Yes, very much so," The younger Jedi mused, biting his lower lip.

"Life can get hectic at times, like it was today. I believe we will need more then just the Force to overcome this burden."

"Perhaps we do, but the Force has helped us in the past. The Force is all we need," He told the other.

"At those times we knew what we were going up against. Then the Force could easily guide us to our chosen path. Now the Force is becoming more unclear, unable to guide us on the road."

"There has to be a way that we can see through the fog and onto the other side," Obi-Wan said calmly, moving his gaze away from Ki-Adi. "We just need a light to show us the path. If we stick to that path, we will succeed."

"If there is no path to lead us, then what? What will we do then?" He said, sighing as he shifted his gaze just a bit. The young Jedi did not answer the questions, but merely held his silence. "There is nothing much we Jedi can do about what will be happening. There is more to this then what you--we--see."

"I know that. Qui-Gon taught me enough. I don't need any more help from someone else," Hr snapped, turning his back upon Ki-Adi. The older Jedi turned his head towards him, who was already stepping towards the doorway that lead into the Temple. "His teaching was enough for me to use in my own teachings for Anakin."

"I know you still miss Qui-Gon, but you need to lessen that pain and focus your thoughts here and now. There are people that are depending on the Jedi Order, so you need to be strong for them."

"What people, Ki-Adi?" Obi-Wan spun around with a glare in his eyes as he pointed towards the Temple. "The ones that are from the other universe? The ones that have brought more harm then good? _People_ are losing faith in the Order, Ki-Adi. _People_ are depending less and less on Jedi and more on themselves for protection." He shook his head as he lowered his arm to his side. "I am beginning to feel as if there are not enough people that appreciate what the Jedi are doing."

"That is the problem. _You_ are beginning to doubt yourself, so other people will do the same. If you being to doubt yourself, then you can't be the Jedi that Qui-Gon wanted you to be."

"How I be the Jedi he wanted me to be?" Obi-Wan shook his head. "when we were on Tatooine earlier, I felt something. It wasn't of this universe, I can tell you that. It felt more powerful then anything we have gone up against or anything we might see in the future, and I doubt we can go up against it alone. I'll tell you something, Ki-Adi. If we go up against what is out there, just the Jedi, we will _not_ survive."

"If they Jedi can not do it, then we need help from those that _can_ Goku, Vegeta, and the others _can_ help. We can only do so much alone."

"Master Mundi! Master Kenobi!" A young voice shouted out before either one could continue on with their conversation. Both elder Jedi turned their attention towards the Temple as the doors gave way to a small child of about ten, seemingly out of breath. He ran up to them, a look of importance on his face. Although he still lacked the braid of a Padawan, the child was clothed in the robes of the younger Jedi trainees.

"What is it, child?' Obi-Wan asked, kneeling down just a bit with a smile on his lips. That soon faded as he noticed the look upon the child's face.

"Master Yoda requests your presence in the Council Room. He says it has to do with your mission today," The boy said, his voice barely above a whisper. Obi-Wan looked up at the other Jedi, his mouth opening just a bit. Ki-Adi understood the glance as the Jedi stood up, his jaw set firmly.

"Thank you, child," Ki-Adi said softly, waving a hand as if to dismiss the child. The child nodded, standing there for a moment before bowing and racing back inside the Temple. The two Jedi looked at each other at that moment, their eyes fixed on the other.

"Do you suppose something _else_ came through the portal?" Obi-Wan asked as they began their retreat into the Temple.

"Let's hope not."

****

Up inside the Council room of the Jedi Temple, among the few Jedi that were inside of it, Goku, Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin watched as hologram, played by instruments unknown to the outsiders, faded from existence, their mouths hanging open. Of course, from being around Capsule Corps. and the Brief long enough to understand a few 'alien' technology, they were still impress with the fact that people could see such things from a planet that was light years away. But, this time around, it wasn't the technology that stunned them. No, it was something far worse then that, probably more then they had expected.

"What are we to do now besides comply?" Krillin asked in a small voice as he looked up at Goku with a wondering look.

"I suppose we would have to, Krillin. We need to wait to see what Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi have to say about this new situation," The Saiyan said just as quietly, looking down at the ground. Vegeta snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I know what I am going to do," He growled under his breath, a frown on his lips. Goku glanced up at the other Saiyan, not having to read his mind but understood the expression that he had on his face.

"Vegeta, don't even think about it," He cautioned. "There is nothing we can do right now except do things that way that they are supposed to happen. Just wait to see what happens."

"I am tired of waiting for things to happen," Vegeta snapped. "I am tired of living by things that _will_ never happen. I just want to do things _my_ way so that everything will be finished."

"Patience you must have," Yoda said in his wisdom, his voice barely above a whisper as he limped into the middle of the Saiyan duo. He stamped his cane down twice for the attention of everyone in the room before speaking further. "Grave this situation is. Nothing like what we have faced before. Need more time we do."

"Time is what we _don't_ have. You don't know what they could do...." Tien's words were cut short as soon as the doors to the Council Room slid open. Ki-Adi appeared through the doorway, followed closely by Obi-Wan. They moved into the room in a slow but seemingly hurried manner.

"What's wrong? Did something else come through the portal?" Obi-Wan asked as he and Ki-Adi stopped short of the group from the other universe. When all they got was a wave of a hand over the object in which played the hologram before by Mace, the two Jedi focused their gaze upon the hologram that was flickering in front of them. It was of a cloaked figure, that looked striking familiar in a way. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow for a moment as the cloaked one began to speak.

__

"I know that the Council is hiding two people from another universe that came from the other side of a portal that had opened near the planet of Tatooine. I do not know who these two truly are, but I assure you that they are more dangerous then they seem," The figure started, his voice emotionless. Goku and Vegeta glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at the picture in front of them. _"If you want to know how I know this, it is clear that I have been through that portal near Tatooine and brought back those worthy to me. _

"I have been told many things in the last twelve hours and it was to my advantage. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I didn't secure the portal for my uses only, I know others have gone through it besides the ones I have brought back. They have provided information to me in a matter far more then what these two have given you, I assure you that." The figure paused for a moment before reaching and grabbing something from outside the sizzling projected area. Suddenly, the image of Queen Amidala appeared as the cloaked one held onto her by one of her arms. It was clear that she didn't want to be near such a creature as she tried to get away from him. _"If you do not return these two to Tatooine within a standard forty-eight hours, your precious queen will be killed. I also want the same three Jedi to bring them to me that took the creatures away. No more, no less."_ With those last words, the hologram faded out with nothing else to offer.

"How did Amidala fall into his clutches?" Obi-Wan demanded, turning his attention fully upon Mace.

"It is a great possibility that she traveled to Tatooine in search of what was going on. The queen isn't a person that will wait for someone to tell her to do something," He replied easily without emotion.

"That could also be a decoy of some sort, like several of the handmaidens Amidala has." Obi-Wan turned directly to Goku. "How do we know that one of those creatures from _your_ universe can't transform to some other form."

"Unless you want Frieza to transform into his last form, I wouldn't have wasted your breath on such a question," Vegeta snapped out, not allowing the other Saiyan to reply. "None of the Icejin's can change into another creatures form. Despite that most of us have seen what the universe can offer, we haven't been able to go through the whole universe. It is a possibility that this Sith person found something new, but it is highly unlikely."

"As much as I hate to admit that, I will have to agree with Vegeta on that one," Yamcha spoke up quietly. "They are all good fighters, I suppose, but I don't think any one of them can pull a stunt like that."

"Know which two they want, do you?" Yoda asked in a tone that made all eyes fall upon him, nut his question was solely stated to the two Jedi that had entered the room only a few moments ago.

"Yes, we do," Ki-Adi said, his head moving right upon Vegeta and Goku. At that moment, it seemed like everyone's eyes shifted to them, the room falling silent for a moment.

"Believe they can defeat the creatures from their universe?" Yoda asked, this time in a much softer voice.

"That is an answer that we have to see for ourselves," Obi-Wan said. "And the only way we can do that is to see them fight at their supposed Super Saiyan level."

"Talk about this matter, the Council will. Come to a conclusion, we shall," Yoda said, waving his hand to dismiss everyone except for the seated Council members and Ki-Adi. Obi-Wan bowed down to them, turning around as the other's followed him, silent as ever.

****

"Your plan won't work. They won't come," Amidala hissed out as she was held tightly in the arms of Cold, her feet not even touching the ground. Frieza, Ginyu, and Garlic Jr. were behind the tall Icejin with Siddious in front of him. "They wouldn't dare try this."

"They will come to Tatooine if they want to save your life," He replied coldly, his hands clasped in front of him as the small mismatched group walked forwards. "It will serve as a reminder to what will happen if someone should go up against me. Besides, I doubt they will have you killed. You seem to be something they would want to keep around."

"If you kill me, you'd have not only my planet after you, but the majority of the Senate. Chancellor Palpatine will be outraged that you would dared to kill some so important to the Republic."

Siddious stopped walking, turning around as he dropped his hands at his side. The rest stopped along with him, unsure as to what was going on. He took several steps towards the woman that was being held captive, his eyes secretly looking over her from underneath the veil of his hood. He didn't say anything for several moments as they stood there, awaiting for something--anything--to break the silence.

"Do you really think that the Supreme Chancellor would really care if something like you were to be killed?" He asked icily. Amidala didn't say anything at first, her eyes staring at him coldly.

"Yes, he would. I have faith in him that, if something _does_ happen to me, he and the Jedi will be after you. There is no place that you can hide."

"The galaxy is a big place, Your Majesty, and so is the other universe. I have more places to hide then you think." He turned around at that moment, a hidden smirk on his lips. "There is more to me then you should know. In fact, there is more to Palpatine then what he is telling you, I'm afraid."

"Like what?"

Siddious raised a hand to his hood, placing his fingers around the edges of it before stopping short of taking it off. He was torn between throwing back his hood and revealing the true identity that was encased behind the darkness that had already kept it's secret. Doing so would cause things to be more complicated then they already were and he didn't want that. Besides, if there was a chance the queen escaped his grasp, his secret would eventually reach the ears of not only the Jedi but the Senate as well.

Then there was the case of the outsiders. His experience with other creatures and those that took orders from a higher source told him that giving too many details to minions wasn't a great idea. There was no telling what these creatures would do with the information he was about to reveal to them. For all he knew, the information about his true identity would be used to their advantage.

"More then you could handle," Siddious said at last, lowering his back down to his side. He turned his head over his shoulder to see them staring oddly at him, wondering what had just happened. "My secrets will be told in time, when the last drop of blood leaves my body. But, for now, we have more important things to do."

With that, he turned around, not caring if anyone followed him. For now, his secret was safe.

****

To Be Continued


	22. Chapter 21

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Twenty-One

Waiting was something a Jedi had to be able to do, even in the times in which time was something that couldn't be afforded. Right now, there was just enough of it to spare a conversation between Jedi. Even so, the words seemed to be taking a long time to be spoken as Obi-Wan stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom he shared with his Padawan, his back laying perfectly still on the soft mattress of his bed. With his hands tucked behind his head, he had become lost in the thoughts that were moving around in his head. 

He was trying to concentrate on just one thought at a time, but nothing else seemed to allow him to do so. Every time he found a spare second to actually think about one thing, everything crashed back into itself, causing him to be lost once again. It was now becoming an endless struggle to keep his mind as close to reality as he could as the things that had happened cornered him, refusing to let him go. 

It was becoming like being stuck in a nightmare that he never knew he had been in. That is, until the events of the last few hours. Until now, he figured the Council would try to dismiss this as something not worth their attention, even at the cost of the young queen's life. However, even they couldn't be that cruel and probably would have the newcomers and the two Jedi and Padawan do what they had to do.

He closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips. The Jedi was ready to finish this now and didn't want to wait for the Council to decide on what to do when it was laying right in front of them. He already _knew_ what had to be done, but the Council was only stalling this matter further. Obi-Wan was growing restless on this subject only because it was lingering in his mind even after everyone had gone their separate ways for what remained of the day and some of the night. He figured the rest was just as ready to get this over with, as he was, so that they could return to their normal lives. Or, how normal they could get.

The door to the living quarters opened with a soft sound and a pair of feet scuffled across the floor. Obi-Wan opened one eye to see Anakin walk slowly over to his own bed without a word to his resting Master. The older Jedi had to smile at the silent sight of his own Padawan as he opened his eyes fully. There were times that Anakin seemed to be as quiet as anything, often surprising the Jedi gathered around him. Perhaps there was a greater power inside of this child that even surpassed the supposed power of the Super Saiyan. Maybe.

"Are you going to come back to Tatooine with us or are you going to stay here?" Obi-Wan asked simply, causing Anakin to jump slightly at the sound of another's voice. He turned around to face the other, his eyes slightly wide.

"What for?" He asked, his eyes narrowing down slightly. Obi-Wan sat up in his bed, placing his hands upon his lap.

"We still have a mission to complete and the queen is in danger," The older Jedi said. "The Council is deciding on this matter as we speak, although I doubt it will have little effect on what we do."

"So, what are they going to do with the others if they do go? Are they going to allow them to stay here? Maybe they can be Jedi, too," Anakin said, his voice sounding hopeful but with a hint of irritation in it. Somehow, the thought of outsiders coming into the Jedi Order didn't seem like a good idea, even if it would help this galaxy.

"No, Anakin," Obi-Wan said sternly, the smile still on his lips as he moved his legs to the side of the bed. "They have to get back to their own universe. That is, _after_ we finish the matter up on Tatooine. Then they will be able to go home."

"What about the portal?"

"What about it?"

"What if it closes and it can't open again? On both sides, I mean," The Padawan said with more irritation in his voice then before. "What will come out of it even if these strangers are defeated?"

Obi-Wan stared at Anakin, his mouth opening up just a bit. The thought of what would happen to the portal after this was over didn't cross his mind until just now. He had, like the rest of them, wondered how the portal had come to be without anything else to explain it, but what _would_ happen to it? Could they close it once this was over with.

"Master?" Anakin asked, eyeing the other. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am. It is just that...." Obi-Wan stopped speaking for a moment, his eyes narrowing just a bit. "Why do you ask about the portal?"

"I am just wondering what would happen to it after this is over with." He shrugged, turning back around towards his bed as he slowly crawled into it with ease. The Master watched his Padawan take off his boots as he started to settle down into the bed, his mouth going into a thin line.

"No, there has to be a reason as to why you wanted to know," Obi-Wan demanded. "There's always a reason."

"Is there? Does there _have_ to be a reason for everything?" Anakin looked up at him with a raised eyebrow as he gently placed his boots on the ground. The Jedi looked down at the ground, for a moment, his eyes twitching just a bit. There was something about the boy's words that made him not answer the question right away, instead choosing to remain in silence as he thought. Then something moved crossed his mind that had once been lost in the jumble of thoughts.

"I think I now understand, and something I just remembered might help us in this."

****

"What is taking them so damn long to decide on something as stupid as this?" Vegeta fumed as he paced in front of the doors that lead into the Council's room, his arms crossed over his chest. He could barely hear the mumbled voices coming from the other side of the metal door as he and the other's strained to hear what was going on. "I don't have the time to wait."

"We know that, but I think they just want to make sure that this is something we shouldn't rush right into," Krillin told him, watching the Saiyan pace back and forth as he stood near the wall that faced the door. Tien and Yamcha stood on either side of him, their arms crossed and expressions of boredom on their faces. Goku sat a little ways from Yamcha, his hands in his lap as he leaned his back upon the wall, his coal black eyes looking down one direction of the corridor. He wasn't paying attention to those that were around him, seemingly staring off into space as if he were inside a daydream.

"It has only been an hour, Vegeta. Don't worry about it," Yamcha snapped, rolling his eyes. Vegeta gave a glare towards him as he turned on his hell, resuming his pacing. "Besides, they could be talking about _other_ things besides this situation."

"They shouldn't be taking this long even if they _are_ talking about something else. I have better things to do then wait for someone else to decide on what I can or can't do," He snapped furiously. "I had enough of that from Frieza."

"They are not telling _us_ to do _anything_. We aren't Jedi, remember?" Tien sighed as he shook his head. "I don't see why we are waiting for them to decide on something like this. If this person is important to them, why are we waiting?"

"She probably is important to them in some way, but I don't know about that," Krillin replied easily. "We weren't told a lot of things and it doesn't look like we will be told anything any time soon."

"Maybe we will find out in time but before we leave this universe," Yamcha said hopefully, that fading fast. "Or maybe we won't find out anything new. Maybe we will leave, knowing less then what we knew when we first came here."

Before Vegeta could say anything to that, the metal doors of the Council room opened swiftly and the form of Mace appeared in the center of the doors. At this point, Goku slowly came out of his daydream to turn his head to everyone else, a dazed look on his face.

"The rest of the Council wants to tell you of our decision," Mace said, his eyes looking over all that was there. "Where's Obi-Wan and Anakin?"

"Don't know and don't care," Vegeta snapped, narrowing his eyes. "I want to know as to why you can't tell us here and now."

"Because I need to tell Obi-Wan," Mace said, hiding his irritation very well. "It concerns him, Anakin, and Ki-Adi more then it concerns you."

"Whatever you say. I just want to get this damned thing over with and soon," Vegeta said coldly, waving a hand as he moved past the Jedi and into the Council room without any more words to anyone else.

****

To Be Continued


	23. Chapter 22

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Twenty-Two

They had gathered inside the Council's meeting room, all stiff and waiting for a decision in which they didn't think was necessary. They knew it was only affecting the three Jedi that was supposed to go along with them, although each person that was present knew that it was highly unlikely that these three souls would even bother to go along with this decision. It was just wait and see from this point forwards.

"I don't believe fighting these people or going up against them in any other way is a good idea until the Council can get a better idea of what kind of powers they have," Mace had said just a moment before, no emotions flowing in his voice as he sat in his seat among the rest of the Jedi Council. He had his hands crossed in his lap and was staring intently at the small band of fighters in front of them. There had been a mummer of anger going through these fighters, anger flashing on their faces. Each knew it was impossible to _not_ go up against something that would probably destroy them all even if some had never seen their power before. "We barely know what the Sith can do let alone what these strangers from the other side of the portal can do."

"So, are you telling us that you want us to sit and wait for them to destroy half of your universe, trying to come looking for us?" Goku demanded as he stood in the middle of the Council room, surrounded by his friends. The others, minus Obi-Wan and Anakin, were behind him, all glancing at the other Council Members, trying to figure out what was going on from the expressions on their faces. All saw how hard that was since many of these creatures, some of them from different parts of the galaxy, didn't have any expressions on their faces.

"We don't know if they are going to do anything or not," Mace continued, ignoring Goku's question for the most part. "I suggest that you locate the queen on Tatooine as soon as possible and find a way to free her without any confrontation."

"You don't know anything about these people and yet you are telling us _not_ to go up against them even though _we_ know more about them then you do?" Vegeta growled, balling his fists in anger. Yoda was about to say something to that when the door to the Council room opened, Anakin and Obi-Wan stepped in as soon as the twin doors were able to open up enough so that they could go through. All eyes seemed to turn to them as they walked to join the rest of the group, the metal doors sliding closed behind them.

"Have you reached your decision?" Obi-Wan asked, completely ignoring the glare he received from Vegeta. Instead, he focused his attention solely upon Mace, who looked right back at him.

"Yes, we have. It would be best if you freed the queen without incident," He answered flatly, knowing full well that he would get the same reaction from these two like he did with the others.

"Meaning what?" Anakin asked, not liking what he had heard.

"Meaning if Frieza and the others want to fight us, we can't do a damned thing about it," Vegeta answered instead, narrowing his eyes. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, not even surprised at this outcome.

"So what you are saying is that we need to get in there, get out as soon as possible without anyone getting into a fight, and expect nothing to happen? Is that what you have agreed to?" Obi-Wan asked, looking around at the other Jedi. Yoda nodded to that.

"Agree the Council does on this matter. All except for one," He replied, stealing a glance towards Ki-Adi, who had a scowl on his face.

"I do not like what the rest of the Council has come to decide no matter what we do or do not know. I believe that, with the combined knowledge and strength of those we have met along with our own, we can defeat the dark one's power," He said in a low voice. "However, I believe few share that same belief."

"I think he is the most sensible one out of the whole Council," Yamcha whispered as low as he could to Tien, who just nodded with his lips pressed in a thin line.

"If we can't go up against them, then what are we going to do?" Goku demanded, his black eyes moving along the Council. "There is more to Frieza then what you think and to the other's that are with him. We _know_ what their powers is like and we _know_ what they can do. And you know what this Sith person can do, right?"

A silence went around the room as everyone on the Council looked at each other, blank looks on their faces. Only Mace and Yoda kept their gazes forwards and maintained their hard-pressed looks. Obi-Wan sighed, trying his best not to roll his eyes at this as he crossed his arms over his chest. Anakin looked up at this master just as confused as most of the outsiders were.

"Don't say anything, Anakin. Let the Council look uncomfortable for a moment. You'll come to realize that not all of what the Council says or decides will be challenged like this again," He said in a low voice to his Padawan, his lips forming a smirk. Tien and Yamcha glanced over towards him, possibly hearing what he had said before turning their heads back forwards with their own smiles that they let disappear as quickly as they had come.

"I am taking that they don't know as much as we do," Krillin muttered, rubbing one of his arms.

"The Sith have been gone for a millennia and they are just now resurfacing," Ki-Adi said, being the one to speak up. "What we do know about the Sith is very little if any at all."

"Then tell us what you know," Tien opted, looking around at the Council for his answer as if there was one at all on their faces. It was Ki-Adi who was the one who gave it to him.

"There is always two sides to everything and, in his case, there is the Dark Side and the Light Side. The Light Sided Jedi, like the Council and the rest of the Jedi in this Temple, are good and fight for freedom and justice. The Dark Sided Jedi, which is mostly the Sith and the Dark Jedi that have been overcome with greed and hatred, fight against those that want justice in the galaxy. The Sith were an ancient people having been conquered by the Dark Sided Jedi.

"Many train younger ones, called Padawans, or don't train anyone at all. They always come in pairs: a Master and a Apprentice. Until three years ago, we had thought that the Sith had been gone from the galaxy, but we only found out that two had surfaced, possibly having helped the Trade Federation to tax the people of Naboo. In the struggle to free Naboo from the tyranny of the Federation, we lost a Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn, in the process because of these Sith." Ki-Adi glanced over at Obi-Wan, but saw no emotions on his face when he mentioned Qui-Gon's name. Instead of that smirk that had been there moments before, his lips were pressed into a thin line and he was trying to look as though he had not heard any of it.

"Now was that so hard to do?" Vegeta asked icily.

"About the one's from your universe, we like to know," Yoda said calmly, his eyes moving along the line of the group.

"Ah, well, I think either Goku or Vegeta are the best ones to tell you of them," Yamcha replied nervously, glancing over towards the two Saiyans. Vegeta snorted, turning his gaze towards the glass windows while Goku remained silent, his gaze moving down towards the ground. There was a silence that went around the room as neither Saiyan started to talk about what they knew.

"Well?" Mace asked impatiently, a bit of anger in his voice. Normally he was calm about waiting, but this time around he was becoming a little bit more impatient then normal.

"What is there to tell you? Frieza is just a tyrant that will kill anything and everything if he doesn't get his way. Cold is basically the same way but he holds his temper more then his son does. I wouldn't put it past them if they would destroy this galaxy by the end of the time limit they set up along with that queen you are so worried about," Vegeta said finally, his voice seemingly becoming lower when he said that. "I wouldn't be surprised if she is already dead."

"And by not going up against them now, you will risk more then just a couple of planet's being blown up in the process," Krillin added.

"Garlic Jr. is the one that I am the most worried about," Goku said softly, taking in a deep breath as he spoke. "Immortal and strong despite his size. He is probably one of them that would be the most valuable to any dark soul."

"You see why we have to act against them _now_?" Tien said in anger. "If we wait any longer....."

"Even though Tatooine is a haven for criminals and other such creatures, we can't risk the chance of innocent creatures being killed even if the Outer Rim is out of Republic reach. It is still a planet that needs at least some protection from the Jedi no matter who controls it," Mace interrupted. "The best way to get through this is to get Queen Amidala out of this before she gets killed." He then looked over at Ki-Adi. "And we expect all members of this group to comply with the Council. Is that understood?"

"If you say so," Ki-Adi answered plainly, standing up from his seat. "I'll make sure that everything gets into place for our departure and that the others will have rooms for tonight. That is, if they want to stay here until morning or for as long as they wish to stay."

He nodded towards the small group as he walked through them, no one moving to follow him until the metal doors opened. Krillin shrugged at this and followed the Jedi to wherever he was going to take them. Tien and Yamcha looked at each other, the next two people to follow suit. Goku grumbled something unheard under his breath, following his friends as the last three of them stood right where they were. It was Anakin that grabbed Obi-Wan by the wrist and pulled him to follow the strangers even though one still stood before the Council. It took Vegeta moment to give his last glares at them before following the Jedi, the doors closing behind him as soon as the Saiyan exited.

"You think that they will comply with the orders we have given them?" Mace asked Yoda as the other Council Members started to mutter to themselves. Yoda sighed, looking up at the other Jedi with a worried expression on his face.

"Worried about that I am," He said softly, turning his attention back to the metal doors in which the small band of fights had exited.

"As am I," Mace said just as softly, knowing that nothing was certain in this galaxy.

****

Amidala sighed, looking around the room she was in. The light inside of it was brighter then what she was used to but she had eventually gotten used to it. She had been in there for about an hour already, having being placed inside of this room and upon a mattress without any chains to hold her down. Even though she was surprised at that this Sith trusted her this much not to run away. At least one side of this matter had _some_ trust in someone here.

"Damn it," The queen grumbled, sighing. She knew how she got herself into this mess and it was because of the Jedi. They hadn't told her anything about what was going on and she would have their necks once this was all over with. It would have been much easier to have given her something knowledgeable before they left. _How could I have been so stupid to get myself caught in something like this? Panaka knew something wasn't right and the Jedi did too,_ She thought bitterly to herself, her shoulders slumping some. 

"I see that you are finally comfortable enough in this room," A voice said from the doorway. Amidala rubbed her eyes, moving her head towards the doorway to see Siddious standing there, still cloaked in his black robes and his hood covering his face. She placed her hands upon her lap, her eyes narrowed at him. "Why don't you take a nap or try to get some rest? After all, it is going to be a long two days. That is, if you survive that long."

"I can't believe you would do this to the galaxy," She snapped at him, a low growl emitting from deep within her throat. "I would have never expected it would be someone like you who would go against the Senate. I suppose you were the force behind the Trade Federation, weren't you?"

"Indeed I was. The Jedi didn't know I was behind it, Your Majesty. See, since I have been taught in the Dark Arts of the Sith, I can do things with ease, even from the Jedi. Hard to see the Dark Side is." The Sith chuckled. "Isn't that what Master Yoda would say?"

"Why in the hell are you asking me for? I am not a Jedi, you traitor!" She screeched out angrily. She didn't know why she had called him a traitor; perhaps because she felt like this stranger was going against the Senate. Or perhaps it had to do with the fact that his voice seemed so familiar to him. His presence in front of her seemed to hold more of a regal stance to it then that of a Sith Lord. _Why can't I figure out how I have this feeling that I know him?_ She thought to herself, racking her brain for any clues as to place this hallow being.

"Traitor is such a harsh word for someone to use. I prefer to see myself as more as a visionary then a traitor. The vision I have is to bring order to a galaxy that needs it," Siddious answered her as politely as he could, although Amidala could tell he was holding back anger and malice. "I would do more then your Jedi would be able to do."

"Why should I believe you? You just want to control it like you are controlling those creatures you brought here." She fought back the tears that were stinging her eyes, trying to keep her emotions cool like she had been taught to do. "The Jedi have more power then you will ever have."

"The universe is a cruel place, my Queen, and the Dark Side is rising once again. In time I will be more powerful then even these so-called Jedi you talk about. I have plans for this galaxy that includes dissolving the Senate and placing myself in charge."

"So, what do I call you now? What those idiots you brought here call you or what you have been called by those that want you killed?"

"It depends on who you ask, Your Highness. Different people will give you different answers to things that you don't want answers for." He bowed to her, clasping his hands in front of him. "But, for right now, I prefer that you keep this little conversation between you and I. No one else knows who I am, like you do, nor will they believe that a Sith is rising."

"The Jedi will believe me. They know that a Sith has come back even though they doubt it," Amidala spat out as he started to back up towards the doorway that was behind him. It took him several minutes to get to it as he turned around, the metal doors opening up in front of him. He stopped in the middle of the doorway as he placed his the hood of his cloak closer upon his head then he had before, keeping his face shrouded in the darkness that it so longed to get rid of.

"Not if you and the others are dead they won't know the truth, and I plan on killing you before the two days are up even if they comply to what I want," He said curtly before stepping out of the room fully, the metal doors closing behind him. This put a metal shield between him and the queen until such time that they came face-to-face once again.

"Not if I kill you first," Amidala muttered under her breath a moment later, her eyes narrowing as she hissed a hidden name under her breath.

****

"How can they just tell us to do something when they have no idea what we are going to go up against?" Vegeta fumed from behind the rest of the group, his voice echoing off of the walls of the corridor that lead them towards what might lead them to their rooms. He stayed a little bit behind them, whom had stayed mostly quiet since they had left the meeting room. 

Ki-Adi, Obi-Wan, and Anakin guided them through the lower levels of the Temple and down towards the corridors that housed the rooms for the Jedi Masters and their Padawans. There were few if any regular rooms open for those that were not Jedi and wished to board there instead of having to go through the streets of Courscant or even trying to move along with the traffic above. It didn't matter to anyone where they stayed for they knew they wouldn't be there long.

"Sometimes it is better to wait and see who is going to do what first before the other side makes it's move," Ki-Adi answered the Saiyan with little emotion flowing in his voice. "In this case, it is better to make the first move before the opposing side does so that we won't be left unguarded."

"You're on the Council. What _exactly _went on while we were waiting for you to call us back in?" Krillin asked, looking up at the Jedi.

"Council business stays within the walls of the Council room as information can easily float back to the ears of those that are also on the Council unless everyone else needs to know certain things. At least, what has been said between them and others that have heard their conversations. It is easier for things to get back to them _here_ then it is somewhere _else_." He gave Krillin a quick glance before turning his gaze back forwards. It took a moment for him to realize what the Jedi had meant before he smiled at that.

"That is true, Ki-Adi. I think many Jedi inside the Temple have learned that rule the hard way," Obi-Wan muttered, trying his best to suppress a smile.

"Do we have to stay here and wait until morning to do something about this? In two days, Frieza alone could do more then make a few small blasts. With the combined powers of the others, well...." Goku's voice trailed off, his eyes moving along the walls of the corridor. There was a moment of silence before one spoke up.

"As little as I know about what they can do and this situation, I'd still go up against them. Even if we don't win the first battle or the war, at least the Jedi will know a little bit more then we first did," Obi-Wan spoke up, looking down at his Padawan. "I am sure that this would be a good training session for you, young one."

"Maybe," Anakin grumbled, looking down at the ground. He had remained silent for the most part, speaking up every so often. The elder Jedi figured it was because he may have been a bit scared by all of this, but he couldn't sure exactly. Anakin had always been one of those children who was good at certain things and perhaps this was one of those times that he was just either shy around people or hiding his emotions well, but he had never been this good at hiding his emotions or being shy. Maybe there was something that was wrong or it was that everything was too hard to comprehend by his small, yet growing, mind. Even the older Jedi couldn't understand all of it at the moment.

"Well, we can leave now if that is what you want. We need to retrieve the ship and get a transport up to the landing platform to board the ship. It might take a couple of hours or so to do this in, but we would be out of Courscant's atmosphere within the next four hours or it might take us until morning. Can you wait that long of time?" Ki-Adi looked behind him to see the expression that Vegeta had on his face. He had his face set on a emotionless express and his eyes were placed directly in front of everyone else, which didn't happen to fall upon anyone in particular.

"I am sure that we can. Even if we don't leave until morning, we should have more then enough time to get back to the planet." Tien then nodded towards the two Saiyans. "But I don't think that you can hold back these two even if their power isn't at it's peak at the moment. It is like trying hold back lava from a volcano, so I think it is worthless to actually say that they will follow the order that the Council gave them."

"Who said we were going to follow it?" Ki-Adi replied innocently enough, turning his gaze back forwards.

"We...aren't?" Obi-Wan asked in mild surprise, taken back as to hear something like that from the other Jedi. "But...."

"My dear Obi-Wan," He said, holding up a hand. "Just because the Council tells the rest of the Order to do something doesn't mean that they have to follow it _directly_ For as long as I have been on the Council, I have seen and heard things that neither Mace, Yoda, or any of the rest of the Council can do about. Certain _things_ come up at certain times that we have no control over and that the Force didn't let us foresee."

"I see your point on that."

"What the hell are they talking about?" Yamcha whispered to Goku, who looked just as confused as his friend did. 

"I have no clue," The Saiyan said in a soft voice. "We just have to trust their judgment for now. I rather do what has to be done rather then follow an order that would lead to more harm. I get enough of that from Chi-Chi."

"So, are we going to go up against them or not?" Tien demanded as the group paused at the doorway of one of the last rooms at was at the end of a corridor. Some looked surprised that they had walked from the Council room to this point since they had been so involved in the conversation. Ki-Adi turned to face them as the door opened slowly, revealing a room that was big enough to hold the strangers for the time being.

"It depends on what goes on first, but I suppose the answer would be yes. The Council doesn't have to know about everything even if I am there. They can sense if someone is lying, but that remains to be seen as to how far that will have to go." He smiled at them as he gestured into the room. "Rest while you can. I can't tell you what is going to happen in the next forty-eight hours but I can tell you this: nothing comes without a price and we may have to give up something in order to get something back. Understood?"

The strangers nodded as they complied with what the Jedi instructed, each grumbling to each other as they moved into the room, Vegeta the last one moving in. Just before he did so, he stopped in the doorway just as the three Jedi were about to leave them be until it was time to leave. He grabbed Obi-Wan's arm and pulled him back towards him.

"What do you want, Vegeta?" The Jedi asked, not moving his arm out of the Saiyan's grasp at the moment.

"Don't expect me to hold back any of my power if we need to go into battle. Whatever is in the way will get blown up as well." He let go of the Jedi's arm, his head turning just a bit towards him. "That will be the price that will be given up for me. I'd give up my own life if I could take down Frieze myself after the hell he made me go through."

Those words echoed through Obi-Wan's head as the Saiyan walked into the room, the doors closing behind him. The Jedi stared at the closed door for a moment, confused and surprised at the same time. He walked away from the door, his eyes moving down to the ground as he tried to sort out all of the thoughts that were racing inside of his head. He nearly bumped into the others' that were in front of them, but they both stepped out of the way as he walked on, not even saying anything to them.

"What is wrong with him?" Anakin asked, confused.

"He is thinking and hard. It is best if we left him with his thoughts for now. Come on, Anakin. We can retrieve the ship without him if we must. We also have to check the ship out in case something had gotten loose from our landing," Ki-Adi told him, moving forwards with the young Padawan walking right behind him. They knew what was going to happen and it was something that might change their lives forever.

****

To Be Continued


	24. Chapter 23

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Twenty-Three

"I still don't see why in the hell we need to wait so damn long," Vegeta grumbled hotly as he paced at the front of the room with his arms crossed over his chest and his usual pissed off expression on his face. Goku was laying on one of the two beds in the room with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed all the way. Yamcha leaned against the wall that was the closest to where Goku was laying, his arms also crossed over his chest but his eyes were diverted somewhere else at the moment. Krillin and Tien sat on the second bed in the room, each at either end of it as both looked quite bored with what was going on.

Everyone had grown restless in the last hour and a half of waiting, especially Vegeta. No one was bothering to get much sleep that night, although all had drifted into a light sleep before jolting awake as if something was about to barge into the room at any given moment. They all knew what was waiting for them on the other side of the galaxy and they were too shaky to even get a decent moment's rest.

Goku seemed to be the most relaxed person there, but looks could be deceiving. After all, a mind such as this Saiyan's could be anything but and the other's knew it. So many things had happened in the last few years that it was hard to tell anymore what was going through the other's mind at the moment or how everything seemed to go the wrong way when it should have gone right the first time around. They knew not to underestimate each other, but sometimes that was hard to do.

They were wondering how the others outside their small group were handling the waiting; Ki-Adi and Anakin had gone off to retrieve and check the ship on a landing platform not far from the Temple while Obi-Wan had gone off to who knows where. Vegeta had become agitated about waiting fifteen minutes after the trio of Jedi had left and it was still showing in the way that he was walking around and glaring at nothing in peculiar. The rest, however, were trying to remain as calm as they possibly could without snapping at each other or going up against Vegeta when they knew that they didn't have a chance to without getting a good beating. Except for Goku, that is.

"We know that Vegeta, but there isn't anything we can really do about it right now," Yamcha muttered, ,furrowing his brow a bit. The Saiyan grunted something under his breath, still pacing without a break in his stride.

"Do you feel like we are being left out in the dark? Like we haven't been told _everything_ about what is going on here?" Tien asked, his three eyes moving along everyone in the room.

"It depends on what we know and what is really going on," Yamcha answered, his own eyes narrowing at bit at the wall he was now staring at, "but it seems....."

"We just have to trust them and not worry about what we do or do not know," Goku interrupted, not even bothering to open his eyes at them. Everyone, except for Vegeta, turned their heads towards him in surprise.

"Goku? Why should we trust them?" Krillin confusingly asked. "We don't know anything about them much less this universe. There isn't much to trust."

"We may not know anything about this universe or them, but they don't know anything about Frieza and the others," Goku told them. "We know more about them then they do. Think about it for a moment."

Vegeta stopped his pacing, turning his head sharply towards the other Saiyan with narrowed eyes that told the others more then they would have liked to know. He watched Goku for a moment, his mouth opening during this moment before he closed it quickly as if he didn't want to say the words that wanted to come out. He then snapped his head towards a wall, a hidden, thoughtful look entering his eyes as well as a small smile.

"What is there to think about?" Tien demanded, standing up from the position on the bed as he glared at Goku. "We are in a strange universe that we know nothing about with things that we have never seen before and probably never will again. We don't even know anything about these people nor have we even heard of them. They won't tell us because they are afraid that we might do something to harm them or worse."

"Not exactly, Tien." Goku took this opportunity to open his eyes and turn his head towards Tien, who was beginning to look even more pissed then Vegeta was. "We have the advantage over the Jedi no matter what we know or don't know. We _know_ what Frieza's power is like. We _know_ what he might do. We_ know_ we can beat him again."

"That still doesn't mean anything, Goku. We are still in a strange place," Krillin replied hastily. "It makes no sense whatsoever."

"It makes perfect sense," Vegeta said suddenly, turning his head back towards everyone else. It was their turn to look upon Vegeta like he didn't know what he was saying or that he was speaking something other then the language that they spoke. Goku sat up, moving his hands to this side as he stared at the other Saiyan with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe he was hearing this.

"Come again, Vegeta? I don't think I understand what you are saying," Krillin demanded, glaring at him. Vegeta turned his full body towards everyone else, taking several steps forwards as he dropped his hands at his side. He noticed the surprised looks on their faces and he smirked at that.

"Did you even understand anything when you were on Namek? No. Did the thought of being on a different planet enter your minds? Probably not. Did that matter? No." He then pointed directly towards Yamcha then moved his arm towards Tien. "All that mattered to you was the Dragon Balls to revive these two worthless beings. Unfortunately, the Dragon Balls mattered to me _and_ to Frieza as well, so you fought for them. You didn't care if you were on your own home planet or not."

"Yes, but you guys weren't in a different universe then," Yamcha opted. "You were in your own, fighting them."

"I think I understand what Goku and Vegeta are trying to say," Krillin put in with his own thoughtful expression on his face.

"And what's that?" Tien asked.

"No matter where we fight, we are still fighting for the same thing and the same person. This is a good chance Frieza won't be any different then what he was on Namek, so why should it matter that we don't know anything about the universe that we fight him in?" He told them, looking around. "I certainly didn't know anything about Namek when I got there, but when everything was over and done with, I knew more then what I did before."

"Exactly," Goku answered, a pleased expression crossing his face although he still had a bit of surprise on his face. "We will know more when we leave this place then we do now."

"How do we know that we will learn anything else before this is all over and done with?" Yamcha asked uncertainly.

"We will just have to wait and see."

****

"How are we going to fight them if the Council won't allow it?" Anakin asked as he stood next to Ki-Adi in the transport that would be taking them back to the platform in which Obi-Wan's ship was docked. The ship had started to move up into the stream of the other ships that were going in the same direction as them, careful not to get into the path of an oncoming ship. Neither had bothered to find where Obi-Wan had gone off to, figuring that the third Jedi just needed to be alone for a while and to think over things. 

The remaining two now were going to the ship in order to fix any remaining problems that still might be present in the ship. However, they had spent the last couple of hours resting from their trip from Tatooine. After all, even Jedi needed rest every so often.

"Don't worry about it, Anakin," Ki-Adi replied, smiling down towards the young Padawan. He knew the child was ready to go into battle, but was uneasy about that as well. "The Council doesn't have to know everything that we do. Besides, I felt something dark about those strangers when we were on Tatooine, and I doubt that anyone would want to see that darkness reach out into the universe, much less the Temple."

"Oh," Anakin muttered, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he moved his gaze away from the elder Jedi. "What do you think will happen when we reach Tatooine?"

"I don't know what _will_ happen this time around with all that has happened already. All I can tell you is that I hope our new found friends are as strong as they say they are because it looks like one of those times where Jedi may not be enough to get through this one."

"Do you know how strong they are?"

Ki-Adi didn't answer Anakin at that moment as he shifted his gaze up towards the ceiling of the moving transport. The young apprentice didn't question further as he looked back up at the Jedi, his eyes narrowing just a bit. Ki-Adi knew that the boy was waiting for him to say something that would satisfy his question, but it would be hard to answer. He didn't know how strong they were or any of the others for that matter. He couldn't say something and have that thing proven wrong later in the stream of time. It probably would have been best to leave the question unanswered, but he decided otherwise.

"I don't know the true answer to that question, Anakin," The Jedi said finally after a few moments of not speaking to each other. "They may be strong in their universe but we could be stronger then them in this one. Or it could be the other way around. I don't know. All I know is that we have to rescue Amidala before it is too late."

"How will we do that?" Anakin asked.

"That, Anakin, is what I still have to figure out."

****

Obi-Wan was in another part of the Jedi Temple, his eyes moving along the different Jedi and Padawans that were there. Many of the Padawans bowed their heads to him out of respect of an elder Jedi, but some of the Jedi Masters had to nudge their apprentice to do such a thing. The lone Jedi didn't care about that as he didn't notice half of the people that were around him, keeping his mind focused on what was laid ahead. There was something else that was on his mind and that something was nagging at him ever since he left Tatooine.

He had seen many things in his life as Qui-Gon's Padawan, mostly during the moment when he had watched in horror as his former Master was stabbed in the heart in front of him. At that moment, he knew, felt, and lived pure hatred for another being that he had never felt before. Obi-Wan knew that anyone in the Jedi Order, whether it was Jedi or Padawan, wasn't really allowed to feel hatred as it lead to the Dark Side, but at that time he didn't care. His Master, the one that he had known since he was a child, had been killed in front of him and he acted more out of pain then he did anger. Perhaps it was a mixture of the two, he didn't know. All he knew was that he hoped and wished that he would never have to feel such a horrible emotion again.

Obi-Wan sighed, quickening his pace. He felt the quizzical looks that the other Jedi and Padawans were giving him, but he ignored them like he had before. It wasn't their concern where he was going and why he was in such a hurry to do something as small as he was going to do. To them, it wasn't important, yet to him it was.

He had spent a good deal of time inside the room that he shared with Anakin before setting off to the Jedi Archives inside the massive building. There, he sat in front of stacks upon stacks of information that Jedi before him had collected, not knowing what exactly he was looking for. He tried looking for things that involved Saiyans, but no information had been found. The Jedi knew that they didn't exist in _this_ universe, but there had to be other similar incidents that had happened before this date.

Then it hit him like a speeder had just crashed into his head. No one had questioned how the portal had come about nor had anyone wanted to find out. To find out the mystery of the portal, Obi-Wan began to dig through centuries worth of information before finding very little on the subject. In the end, he figured there was only one other way to get information and that was from an old friend.

"Where are you going so quickly, Obi-Wan?" A voice called out from behind him. Obi-Wan slowed down a bit, glancing over his shoulder as the familiar figure of Mace came up beside him with his hands clasped behind him tightly. "Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for your trip back to Tatooine?"

"Yes but I need to walk around the streets of Coruscant for a while to see if I can't think of any ways to do this without fighting," The other Jedi said in a hurried voice, turning his head back forwards sharply. There was a panicked look on his face now that indicated he didn't want Mace around at that moment. "I might even get some new information while I wait."

"And where exactly is this information?" Mace wondered.

"In the Jedi Archives."

"I see," Mace thoughtfully, pondering what the other had spoken. Obi-Wan slowed down even more, turning around so that he was walking backwards in order to face Mace.

"What, you don't believe me?" Obi-Wan asked, spreading his arms out wide as he continued to walk backwards.

"Not, it's not that. It is just," The Jedi said, walking a little bit slow then he had been going at before, "that the Archives are in the other direction you are going."

"Oh, yes," Obi-Wan muttered, stopping his walking as the other walked up to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You aren't going to the Archives, are you?" 

"No. I've spent the last few hours in the Archives, looking for answers that don't exist. Why would I need to go back to them when I have another place to go?" Obi-Wan asked in a hurried voice, turning back around as he begun to walk away from the other.

"Where exactly...." Mace started but didn't get to finish his sentence as Obi-Wan disappeared into the consuming crowd of Jedi and Padawans.

****

To Be Continued


	25. Chapter 24

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Twenty-Four

Obi-Wan walked down one of the many side streets that criss-crossed over Courscant, the hood of his dark brown outer robes pulled over his head so that only some of his face was visible from underneath it. He made sure that he could still see from under it, recalling several times in the past when he had the hood too low and bumped into things that he shouldn't have bumped into. Qui-Gon had lectured him on that many times before and sometimes he hadn't even bothered to listen at some points. But, it was always helpful when he did and he used that little bit of help every so often, sometimes even echoing the same words of his fallen Master to his own Padawan.

He didn't really bother using any kind of small ship to get where he wanted to go on this day. In fact, it wasn't that far from the Jedi Temple, so he decided to walk away from it as quickly as possible so that no other Jedi would notice that he was gone besides Mace. The Jedi figured that he was going to be in some trouble with the Council for going for outside information that was not found in the Archives or the other Jedi, but that was just something that wasn't going to happen. Even Jedi had to get some new information from outside sources, reliable or not, so that they wouldn't have to rely solely on the Archives.

He hadn't exactly lied to Mace that he was going to wander the streets of Coruscant. In fact, it was part of the truth. It wasn't hard to find yourself in a place where you shouldn't be without knowing which direction you had to go to get back to where you had come from. Obi-Wan had done that several times in his youth, but this trip into Coruscant's streets went with more knowledge of where he was going and what place he wanted to be.

Obi-Wan stopped short, his hidden eyes diverting to a small diner next to him. It wasn't like the tall buildings around it as they reached into the lower man-made atmosphere of Courscant. In fact, many people were walking past it even though there were countless others inside that same diner. The Jedi had to smile as he looked it over before walking into it, glancing around before he entered. It was only when he was fully inside the tiny establishment did he take off his hood to look around some more. Few alien heads turned to see who had entered then went back to their meals like nothing out of the ordinary happened. It was certainly a sight to see a Jedi Master walking into a place like this, but they didn't care. It wasn't their business to know what one was doing in it, so they ignore him for the time being. Until something happened that was more interesting then another patron entering a diner, they had other things to do then watch him.

As he was about to sit at one of the open tables that wasn't near any large group of creatures, a waitress droid came from somewhere in the diner, scurrying over towards the Jedi with a rag in one of her mechanical hands. If she had been human, or some humanoid-like creature that he could easily read facial features, he would have seen a look of constant disgust on her face.

"Can I help ya?" She asked blandly, barely even noticing that the Jedi hadn't even sat down at the table when she began to wipe it down for him. He assumed that this droid figured he was going to get something to eat as well, which was the farthest thing from the truth although he did enjoy the occasional meal from this particular diner.

"Dex. I need to speak to him," Obi-Wan replied, not really interested to listen a droids questions that he had heard several times before. He knew that Ki-Adi and Anakin would have the ship ready and waiting for him, or close to it when he returned, and the rest of the group would be waiting for him. He didn't want to be late for it even if he was only a few minutes over from returning.

"Waddya wa---"

"I don't have time for your questions," Obi-Wan said quickly, half wishing this droid _was_ a human or some other creature so that he could have used the Force to make her go faster. "I just need to talk to Dex."

The droid made a whirling noise as she stopped wiping the table and moved away from it as she went towards the counter, ignoring the look of tiredness that was on the Jedi's face. 

"Someone to see you honey!" She yelled into the back before the droid went off to tend to the other customers, which consisted mostly of freighters and the like. Not even a few seconds after the droid announced that there was a creature inside the diner looking for someone, a head popped into the open area of the serving hatch, it's eyes moving onto the standing visitor. Then a huge smile came upon it's lips as he recognized the person.

"Obi-Wan! Take a seat. Be right with ya!" This creature said, dipping back into the kitchen area.

Obi-Wan nodded slightly, glancing towards a single open table as he made his way to it. Not a moment after he sat down onto a chair did the person that he wanted to talk to walked from behind the counter, the smile still on his lips. He was a massive creature with four arms that could pound anything into the ground as his stomach jutted out from underneath the greasy clothing that he wore. Few others would want to actually go up against a creature such as Dexter Jettseter, and for good reason too.

"Hi, Dex. It's been a while since I've been here," The Jedi said with as much sincerity as he had left in him. In fact, that was the truth since the Council had kept him busy in the last few months.

"I know, I know," Dex replied, standing at the other side of the table as Obi-Wan sat the rest of the way down onto the chair. "What can I do for ya?"

"I was wondering if you knew anything about portals," Obi-Wan said, looking around at the other customers in order to make sure that none of them were listening to what the two were, and might, going to say. It was similar to one of Tatooine's many cantinas, but with less of a chance for ears to pick up information.

"Portals?" Dex now had a wondering look on his face as be blinked his eyes at his old friend. "What kind of portals? There's different kinds, you see."

"The kind that you can travel into, say, a different universe," The Jedi replied easily. "The kind where everything is different from the one you know of. I was hoping that you would know of ones that have appeared in the past since you've been around the galaxy several times. Maybe even read it in some kind of collection of books or something like that."

"It's possible something like that can exist. I've heard of what some might call 'dimensional gateways', but I've heard it only as myths in some of the cultures in the newly charted areas. There are even fewer people who have claimed to have been in a different universe when only they've been into unknown and uncharted territory." Dex leaned forwards slightly. "As for it being put into writing, I don't think anything like that would have been kept in a public archive. Suppose the droids you've got couldn't help ya, huh?"

"I don't have anything to give to them for their analysis," Obi-Wan said, a half defeated look coming upon his face before he dropped his voice down to a level that hopefully Dex would be able to hear without the Jedi having to raise his voice any higher then it was already. "The reason I'm asking is because I have some new friends that, what someone would say, 'aren't of this galaxy'." He looked around for a moment before returning his gaze back to his friend. "Actually, they aren't even of this universe."

"Not of this universe?" Dex said, looking a little confused and in the right mind to keep his voice down as well. "How can that be? There's no species that isn't a part of this galaxy, even if no one has seen them before."

"It's possible, I can assure you," The Jedi said, not even believing his own words. "Listen, these new friends of mine seem to not register as a life form that resides within the living Force. I can't really sense them through the Force without giving myself a headache to find even the littlest trace inside them. It seems as though they aren't even living or even part of the Force in a sense that Jedi, or non-Jedi to an extent, can understand. They claim to have this power that can blow up a planet if they could, and I have seen two of them change in what they call a 'Super Saiyan'. The rest of them are human enough, I can say that much."

"Super Saiyan? Sounds like a species of power, I can tell you that," Dex replied with a thought. His voice told the other that he didn't know what a Saiyan was without Obi-Wan having much information to give to him.

"Yes, it seems like it," Obi-Wan said, sliding off of the chair as he sighed. "Are you sure that you don't know anything people traveling into portals and the like?"

"Yup. I'll ask around for any information on..."

"No, that's okay, Dex," The Jedi said quickly, glancing around at the other customers that were inside the diner. He already took a big risk on telling Dex about the portal and the strangers from the other side of the portal; he didn't want anyone else to know that there was something that could lead to another world. Besides, with his luck, if this leak of information went out further then it already had, it might go back to the Council's ears, no matter how long it took. "No one knows anything about this other then the Jedi. Thanks."

Dex smiled, nodding as the Jedi bowed his head in return, placing his hood back onto his head. The two old friends quickly said their goodbyes, the Jedi leaving as quickly as he had come, hoping that no one outside the diner had seen him come or go and hoped that no one overheard the conversation that he just had.

It was hard finding information as a Jedi, but there was no one else left to do it.

****

Amidala found herself in a position which she had already damned herself several times in, her thoughts drifting off to what would happen if the Jedi did not show up in the time limit she knew had been set down for her. She now had her hands and legs shackled to a wall in the same room she had been placed in before, leaving enough room for her to move and stretch enough in. Some of Siddious's workable droids had come in to put her into this position in the room instead of having actual people do this work. She complied with it, knowing that this person would most likely kill her before she found out what was really going on.

She had found solace in the droids when she had watched them clasp the chains around her ankles and without fail or without word. The young queen figured they had long since been programmed to do nothing but the Sith's dirty work in which he had no man power to use. These droids left as soon as they had finished their job, whirling and clicking out of the room without a look behind at the captured girl.

Amidala sighed, leaning her back upon the wall as she stared up at the ceiling. She knew how she had gotten herself into his mess without even having to think about it even though she knew it was partly her fault that she was in this position in the first place. The other part of the blame fell onto the two Jedi that should have said something to her earlier but remained silent throughout the whole ordeal so far. She figured it was all just a dream that she would wake up from at any moment, but it seemed like it wasn't going to happen this time. Like the Trade Federation blockade, Amidala knew she would get out of this somehow at some giving point.

Even if it killed her.

****

"I still say we kill her now," Frieza said nastily, his arms crossed over his chest as he his tail moved back and forth violently. Cold had to stoop down in the cockpit of the ship in order to be comfortable, his eyes and facial expression showing that he was bored out of his mind. Ginyu wa sin another part of the ship, perhaps getting ready for what might be the biggest battle the two universes might witness. Garlic, Jr was sitting on the floor opposite Frieza and Cold, his head bowed down towards the ground as his arms were loosely crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. It didn't mean that he wasn't awake however; he was just as bored, like the others, and a light nap wouldn't hurt at all.

"Then there would be no reason for them to come here," Siddious replied hastily as he sat in the pilot's seat, his head covering his features as he faced the outsiders. "I know you want revenge, as do I, but killing the queen early won't do us any good. When the two days are up, then you may kill or torture her as you would like. Until then, there will be no blood she unless it is the Jedi, the Saiyans, or whoever you'd like besides her."

Siddious knew what he was going to do with Amidala as soon as the Jedi and the Saiyans were dealt with. The Viceroy of the Trade Federation had once expressed his need for the queen's body to be laid out in front of his office as a throw rug, however the Sith wasn't going to hand over a prize like the Queen of Naboo so easily. There were other things that he could do with her alive and, if those proved to be fruitless, then she would die.

As for his new 'friends', and with the exception of Garlic, Jr, they were easily disposable. How he was going to deal with the little creature was a mystery all on it's own. Perhaps there was a way around immortality that he, or anyone else, knew of at the moment. Only the future could tell of this.

"They wouldn't know what happened to the girl. After all, I doubt they would be able to sense her death with what you call the 'Force'," Frieza rambled on with growing anger.

"Don't under estimate the Jedi," Siddious said as calmly as he could. "They can do things that you don't know of and many other things. They know things faster then you can blink."

"And _you_ don't under estimate _us_," Frieza said blandly, his eyes flaring up. Cold yawned, ignoring his son's temper for the moment as his attention went from one being to the next and back again. This was actually a form of entertainment in which he found amusing. "My patience has run dry. I don't want to wait for those Saiyans to come here."

"I understand, but patience is what you need right now no matter how hard it might be. I can't offer you any more then what is laid before you," The Sith said, his patience already worn as well. The way that the Icejin went on about patience and the Saiyan's was annoying to no end and this was one plan he couldn't wait to finish.

"Fine," The Icejin growled under his breath, his eyes turning into slits. "But, when I become more impatient then I already am, you had better hope my anger isn't directed towards you."

****

Anakin kept his fingers steadily pushing buttons on the control panel, his eyes watching the slights blink on and off again. He stood not that far away from the edge of the controls, not bothering to sit at either the co-pilots or the pilots chair as he was too occupied with what he was doing at the moment to sit down. Ki-Adi was in another part of the sip, doing some of his own checking of the walls and such of the rooms to make sure that nothing had cracked when it had gone through the portal both times and when Obi-Wan had landed upon the other planet.

Even though they knew everything was already running okay, they had to make sure that there wasn't any lingering damage done to important parts of the ship. For safety sake at least and to put the Council's mind at ease when they retrieved Amidala from Tatooine. They also had to make sure that they didn't come back with any unknown items from the other universe, which would cause widespread chaos in the galaxy and beyond. Just with the small, unknown group, everything seemed to have made this out of control even if no one else knew about it.

The door to the cockpit opened and the form of Ki-Adi stepped through, his eyes moving towards the young Padawan as the boy turned his head over his shoulder to see who had entered. There was a fleeting look of impatience on his face as it disappeared before it could be detected. Neither one spoke, each watching the other for a moment before the child spoke.

"The controls are fine from what I can tell. Nothing seems to be wrong with many of the controls," Anakin spoke in a dull tone, taking his hand off of the control panel and turning around fully to the Jedi in front of him. "That doesn't mean something might go wrong if we need to get away fast."

"Never mind that right now. I am sure that this ship has suffered worse. Nothing else seems to be wrong with the other parts of the ship, either. Like you said, it doesn't mean something _won't_ go wrong," Ki-Adi replied, moving forwards as he sat down onto the pilot's chair with a sigh. "However, I suppose Obi-Wan would want to check it out for himself. Never satisfied until he knows himself."

"Where is he anyways?" The Padawan asked without so much as a hint of wonder as to where his Master was.

"I do not know that answer. He probably is off doing something other then worrying about this mission."

"He seems like he doesn't care about the queen."

"Ah, it may _seem_ like that, be he _does_ care. He just has a funny way of showing it," The elder Jedi told him just before a beeping sound went off on the controls. Ki-Adi swirled the chair around to the panel, moving a hand quickie to several buttons as a hologram came up on a small pad on the controls, showing the image of Mace and Yoda in front of them.

"Alright the ship is?" Yoda asked briefly.

"Yes, it is. We should be getting ready to depart once everyone else is ready to go," Ki-Adi replied, turning just a little to address the other Jedi. "Where is Obi-Wan?"

"He went of to think and get some information," Mace said sourly, a hint of bitterness coming onto his face. "That was an hour ago and the sun has already begun to show. We have not seen him since then."

"Why don't you go to the Archives and get him?" Anakin asked, looking confused as to why they hadn't gone there to retrieve him from there yet.

"He didn't go toe the Archives," Mace stated just as sour.

"No matter," Yoda said briskly, the hologram of the two Jedi fizzling for a moment before the image became clear again. "Get the group, we shall."

Ki-Adi nodded as the hologram faded from view, leaving the remaining Jedi and Padawan alone in the cockpit in silence. The eldest Jedi stood up once a few moments of pure silence had past, walking towards the doorway before Anakin spoke.

"Where are you going?" The boy asked, watching him closely.

"Getting the ramp ready for them. I am sure that at least Vegeta is ready to go by now. I have a feeling this is going to be one interesting rescue to say the least."

Ki-Adi didn't know how right his words were as he left the cockpit, leaving Anakin to ten to the controls. Whatever was going to happen, they would be ready for it.

****

To Be Continued


	26. Chapter 25

****

Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

****

Chapter Twenty-Five

Obi-Wan did not want to go back into the Jedi Temple, not for fear of what was going to happen, but not wanting to return to the duties that awaited inside. On the streets of Coruscant, very few people looked towards him as a Jedi Master, someone who once helped saved a planet and a queen from a blockade put into action by a corrupt system. Here, they viewed him as someone just like themselves but with a talent that very few had. 

He had walked a bit longer then he had knew he had, his gaze looking up at the tall buildings that dwarfed him. It was a rare sight to see a Jedi moving aimlessly around streets with nothing to protect, but it was even rarer for a Jedi to be able to do such a thing. There was so much movement in a single Jedi life that held no time for simple pleasures like moving about without anything holding him back. It would be one of the few times now or in the future that he would be able to get the chance to ignore the call of duty, even if it was for a few moments.

Even with not wanting to return to this world within a world, Obi-Wan walked down one of the more populated corridors of the Temple, his grey-blue eyes looking back and forth among the Jedi that were walking down the same path, trying to find someone out of this same crowd. He had just entered through the arched entrance a few moments earlier, walking slowly at first before quickening his pace towards a pre-determined destination inside the Temple itself. There was something wrong with this situation that he didn't like at all and it seemed to be growing inside of him as more time passed. It had started a few moments before he met Dex in the diner not too long ago, nagging at him then and still was doing it now.

Even before that moment, when he had first left the Temple to go in search of something that he didn't even know what it was, there was something else that he didn't like about this. Something that no one else, in the Jedi Order or not, could sense but himself. What was it that he felt growing inside of him that he wished would just go away? Was it the looming battle that all knew, even the Council itself, would not be deterred by words alone? He was thankful that there were others that knew what they were doing in something like this, but was it for the right cause? 

Vegeta seemed to want bloodless more then Goku or the others did and that was becoming more confusing as time went on. Krillin seemed to be more afraid of what Frieza might do then what the Saiyans would possibly be doing at this moment. If that was the case in general, why then? What was so scary about someone like this that no one knew about but this handful of people? There were so many questions that needed to be answered but there was no place to go to answer them at.

He didn't know why exactly he had gone to Dex for information in the first place when he had the answers right in front of him even if he didn't see them at the moment. Everything was becoming more and more confusing as time went on and it would eventually worsen if he didn't find something or someone to give him the answers he needed to hear. _Maybe I am just looking in the wrong places or asking the wrong questions,_ He thought as he turned around a corner that lead into the rooms that the Jedi shared with their Padawans or had one by his or her self. There were fewer and fewer Jedi in this area, which meant fewer chances to find someone whom he was looking for. _Maybe I am just doing this to make sure that it is really happening. Maybe once this is all over and done with that these answers will surface. I don't know when, but they will._

"Obi-Wan?" A familiar yet commanding voice called out from behind the Jedi, causing him to drop his thoughts entirely. Obi-Wan slowed down a few steps as Mace walked towards him from the same path in which the other Jedi had just taken, a serious expression on his face. The two Jedi walked side-by-side down the walkway, allowing for a few moments of silence before Mace spoke again. "Where were you? The ship is ready to leave and they are waiting."

"I said that I had to walk for a while and perhaps get some information, neither of which was much of help. No questions of mine were answered the way I wanted them to be answered," Obi-Wan replied blandly, glancing over towards the elder Jedi. "Is everyone aboard the ship?"

"Not yet. I was just about to get them before I met up with you." Mace returned the glance. "You should go to the ship and wait for them there."

"No. There are a few a few things that I need to know before we tell them that everything is ready. Something that I can't understand yet or probably won't until everything is over with."

"Such as?" Mace asked, a little surprised at that were still some unanswered questions left for anyone to answer.

"I need to know if there is any other way to sense a person other then through the Force," The started, turning his head forwards. It wasn't exactly one of the questions that he wanted to get some answers for since there was few that could answer it nor did he want to put it in a way that it w_as_ a question, but by all means he was going to say it anyways. He didn't even know what else he was going to ask the group of strangers from another universe entirely until he saw them and the questions came off of his tongue. "By that, I mean where a person is on a planet and the like."

"No, not to my knowledge," Mace said a moment later. "Remember, the Force resides in all living things and that is how we are able to sense people and danger."

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan mused thoughtfully as the two Jedi stopped at the room where the outside strangers were waiting. Both looked at the door for a moment before they turned their heads towards each other.

"Perhaps what?" Mace asked confusingly as Obi-Wan pressed the button to inform their guests that someone was there, ignoring the other Jedi's question. There was, however, no response to the call after a few moments before the Jedi did it several more times. Muffled sounds came from the other side of the metal doors as they opened, revealing all those that were present. It was Vegeta that was by the door itself, glaring down at each of their hosts as Goku sat up on the bed that he had been laying upon. Krillin and Tien stopped up from the other bed, looking ready to leave while Yamcha looked around the Saiyan to see who was there.

"What do you want?" Vegeta growled, his words directed more so towards Obi-Wan then Mace.

"From what I hear, the ship is flyable condition and is ready to leave," The Jedi said without any emotion in his voice or on his face. Vegeta gave a snicker and a smirk as he started to walk out of the door with that information in hand, but Obi-Wan put his arm out as he placed his hand upon the frame in which the door slid into. This blocked Vegeta's exit almost fully, causing him to stop and stare at the one that had blocked his exit. "Not so fast, Vegeta. The ship, Frieza, and the queen can wait for a few more moments. It won't take us long to get back to Tatooine, especially with all of this going on."

"What the hell do you want from us now?" Vegeta snapped irritably, crossing his arms over his chest. Yamcha pushed himself from the wall, an interested look passing over his face as his friends and himself started at the brave Jedi in question. "If you are looking for information, we've already given it to you. Besides, you haven't been that great with information yourself."

"Vegeta, you said before that you knew Frieza the best. Why is that?" Obi-Wan questioned. He ignored the icy tone that the other held in his voice, brushing it off like he didn't hear it.

"Why does it matter to you?"

"It doesn't really matter. I just want to make sure that this isn't a sign that the Force is failing us now and that this isn't all something that we're are hallucinating. If it isn't, I'd like to know if the other side doesn't have an advantage over us."

"Even if I said why I knew Frieza better then these Earthlings, what makes you so sure that it isn't part of your hallucination?" Vegeta snapped, ignoring the last bit of what Obi-Wan said.

"It would be a start even if it was just that. I don't have to explain myself on anything more."

"Neither do I or the things I know. Let's just say that you wouldn't understand," The Saiyan replied icily, moving under the other's arm as he started to walk down the corridor that would lead them to the ship. Krillin and Tien looked at each other, their mouths opening closing quickly without word before they shrugged, soon following Vegeta's same footsteps. Yamcha watched them go, eyeing the Jedi as well as he walked over towards him with his hands going into his pockets.

"You know, the best way to understand this is just to watch what is going on once we get there. Then maybe your questions will be answered the way that you want them to be answered," He said plainly as Obi-Wan put his arm down to his side. Yamcha moved past him without much as a look back, Goku standing up from the bed that he had been laying on.

"Goku, what do you have to offer us on this matter?" Mace prompted, hoping to get something more then angry words from the group. The Saiyan walked to the doorway, his black eyes moving between Mace and Obi-Wan before they centered into the middle of the two.

"I have a feeling that this isn't going to be something that Frieza is just going to hand us without anything happening. We know what he does and how he acts, so words alone won't help us. Let us take care of Frieza and the rest of them and they can take care of trying to rescue the queen," He said after several moments of silence. Obi-Wan backed up to allow him to leave as Goku moved past him, giving both Jedi what was thought to be a forced smile. Mace blinked his eyes, both watching the backs of the strangers until they turned around the corner, one by one.

"I'll go make sure that they get to the ship without stumbling upon something that they shouldn't see or be in," Mace said, turning and walking away from Obi-Wan before the Jedi snatched the other's arm. He turned his head towards Obi-Wan his eyes twitching for a moment before he nodded to him to go with whatever he had to say.

"Mace, I don't want this to end up in a big battle that will destroy Tatooine or quite possibly even more then that. Just not as much as the Council does. There is only so much we can avoid," Obi-Wan said, nodding in the direction that the other's had gone into. "Remember, they aren't from this universe, so what they consider limits aren't necessarily _our_ limits and vice versa."

"I know, so that is why you need to diver a battle as much as possible. You know don't what they are going to do or how they are going to handle it," Mace said, trying to get his arm out free.

"Exactly my point."

"And that would be?"

"I don't think that a battle can be diverted despite how much we don't want it because what they think is a battle is war to us. It is not going to happen no matter how hard we try," Obi-Wan said before letting go of Mace's wrist. The two stared at each other for a moment's time before Obi-Wan moved past the other, his eyes straight forward. He knew what the other Jedi was thinking and, quite frankly, he didn't care anymore. Going with the Council's wishes of not having a battle was useless especially if one of their own was even considering not following that order. From the few things that he had heard about Frieza and the rest of them and his limited knowledge of the Sith, there was nothing that showed that any kind of battle could and would be averted. He would get this over and done with by the time forty-eight hours would be up.

He just hoped that this was something worth risking his Jediship.

****

Coldness, hunger, and a small level of despair had set in as Amidala of the Naboo sat in the small room that the Sith had placed her into, her arms and legs aching from the chains that bound her ankles and wrists to the wall. She figured she would have some kind of bruising by the time she was taken out of them, or some other kind of injury to her wrists and ankles. It would be nothing that time wouldn't heal.

She desperately wanted to get away from those that were keeping her here, yet she also harbored some anger at the Jedi for not coming as fast as she knew that they could. She knew that they wouldn't come as swiftly as many people, including herself, would want them to come, yet she knew that they would have moved a lot faster then they were going now. She hoped that nothing was holding them back from this.

She sighed, bowing her head down towards the ground as she closed her eyes. She knew that Panaka would be worried about her not returning as soon as he expected her to come, however he also knew that she could handle herself in any situation. Besides he _knew_ he would be in trouble if he went back to Naboo without the queen in tow. He probably would lose his life for it if anyone found out that she wasn't with him now. _If he and the others could only see me now,_ The queen thought bitterly with a small chuckle. _On the verge of giving up and in chains, awaiting a death from an unknown enemy. He'd probably get some sense into me by telling me that I've faced worse things then this._

Amidala shook her head to get those thoughts of giving up out of her mind as she opened her eyes and moved her head up slightly. She couldn't be thinking of trying to give up when it didn't seem like anything bad was going to happen to her. Unless, of course, the Jedi never came to get her, leaving her to face the Sith alone with creatures she had never seen before in her life. _I shouldn't be thinking things like this,_ She told herself._ They will come. Hopefully. Yet, I know I or the Republic can't always depend on the Jedi to help us when we need that certain help._

She took in another breath, closing her eyes once again as she placed her head upon the cold wall that was behind her. She just hoped that everything would come together so that it would be all over with.

****

Anakin waited by the open ramp for Obi-Wan and the others to come, his blue eyes impatiently watching overtop the landing platform for the ship that would bring them up to him. Ki-aid was still inside the ship, doing some last minute checking before they would go back to Tatooine. It would probably be a faster journey back to the desert planet then it had been to Coruscant only because there was something more at stake then getting told by the Council that there could be nothing more then peaceful negotiations. _There would be and has not had anything peaceful abut this trip,_ The boy thought bitterly as he took in a deep breath and waited even more for the group to arrive.

He looked at the situation no differently then he had with the dispute with the Trade Federation on Naboo. He knew, from that experience alone, he would have to sit on the sidelines and wait until everything was over and done with so that he would not be hurt or worse, killed. Even so, the young Padawan still wanted to get into the battle like he had before, even if it was something unknowingly that he did. Then it hadn't been a big deal since few knew who actually few the small Naboo ship into the core of the control ship. Many figured it was some random pilot that just got lucky while others knew who exactly it was that had helped disarm the Federation.

Things were different in the life of a Jedi, more so then that one of a random person walking along the streets of Coruscant. Anakin didn't miss having to work for Watto at all, especially the days that he desperately wanted to go play with his friends or finish building his pod racer that Watto knew nothing of. There were days, however, that the other had seen the longing in the boy's eyes to go outside and use up any access energy, thus giving him the rare opportunity to use it up before he had to go back to work once again. Then there were the times that Watto refused the boy to do _anything_ but the work he was supposed to do around the shop. In the end, however, it was a little bit worth it because neither his mother nor himself went without shelter or food.

"Have they come yet?" Ki-Adi's voice asked, startling Anakin as he jumped slightly from his position from the ever-so-watchful side of the platform. He turned around quickly to see the older Jedi standing there, a grim yet hopeful expression that was on his almost unreadable face.

"Not yet, but I think they will be coming shortly," Anakin said softly, a little intimidated by the towering figure of the Jedi Master. Even Master Yoda, who wasn't more then a foot or so shorter then he was, intimidated him so, not because of his height but because of his knowledge of the living Force, his calming nature, and the wisdom of nearly nine-hundred years of being a Jedi Master. Ki-Adi nodded slightly, a smile peering out from the expression that he still maintained.

"When they come, then we will be off," He said before turning around and walked back into the ship. Anakin sighed as he looked over his shoulder at the looming edge of the platform. Despite his impatience to get this situation over with, he didn't want to hurry up and go back to Tatooine. He hated that planet as much as he had hated working for Watto those three years ago. _Oh well. At least I will be able to see the queen again,_ The Padawan thought with a half smile as he turned back around and waited for the group to come back to the ship.

It would be a trip to remember.

****

To Be Continued


	27. Chapter 26

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Dark Angel

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Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

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Author's Note: For all of you who are waiting for the fighting to begin, then you are going to have to wait until Chapter Twenty-Seven. So, if you want to read the fighting part, then just be patient. I've re-written everything that had been put up on this site and others, which was up to Chapter Twenty-Five.

****

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Are we ready?" Ki-Adi asked as he sat in the pilot's chair, pushing buttons and checking the stats of the ship without even thinking. Obi-Wan sat next to him in the co-pilot's chair, doing roughly the same thing except he was doing it at a slower pace and looked more frantic then the other did. Anakin was ordered to go into the room that he shared with Obi-Wan in the ship and to stay there until they came back with Amidala. Even with his protesting, the Padawan did what he was told although he did not like it one bit.

Vegeta, Goku, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin had been the first ones to enter the ship from the transport that had taken them from the Temple up to the platform in which the ship was resting upon. Anakin, upon seeing the transport land upon the platform from the top of the ramp, had rushed to find Ki-Adi, who was somewhere in the ship. As soon as the Jedi and the Padawan had gotten back to the ramp, Vegeta had already stomped up the ramp in an angry fashion, the rest of the group not too far behind them. None had even bothered to look at the duo as they walked past and into another part of the ship.

Obi-Wan and Mace were the next to follow suit, except they did at least acknowledge the others presence. Obi-Wan walked past them stiffly without much word while Mace stopped for a moment to give any last orders to Ki-Adi, who had swiftly come to see the group come onto the ship. As soon as Mace was off of the ramp and back far enough upon the platform to watch the ship take off, the ramp slid back into the ship, creating a metal barrier between Jedi. 

"I'm sure we are," Obi-Wan said quickly, glancing over towards the other before returning his gaze upon the window in front of him. He knew that the ship, the others on board, and the will to rescue Amidala was ready, but he didn't know if he himself was ready. Maybe it was the fear of facing the Sith and destroying him or the thought that this might be his last trip from Coruscant. Either way, this was the most fear he felt since Qui-Gon had died.

The ship soon started to vibrate smoothly, the controls lighting up as Ki-Adi began to lift the ship off of the platform it had been sitting on. Obi-Wan then pulled a lever up to bring the landing gears, his heart racing a little bit faster then before. He knew he had to calm himself before they landed back on Tatooine and before the group came face-to-face with Frieza and the Sith. _Calm down,_ He told himself, taking a deep breath to do so.

"You okay, Obi-Wan?" Ki-Adi asked, steering the ship up towards the top of Coruscant's lower atmosphere. He made sure that he didn't get in the way of oncoming ships, keeping his distance from the steady stream of smaller ships that was moving all around them.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" The Jedi wondered, trying to looked interested in something on the controls. His companion wasn't that easily swayed; he took a quick glance over at him and gave a soft chuckle. Obi-Wan glared over at him, still trying to look as thought nothing was wrong. "What is it?"

"You say nothing is wrong, Obi-Wan, yet," Ki-Adi paused to let a small smile play on his lips for a moment before continuing, "your face is pale and your hands are shaking. Do you really hate flying this much?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer but closed it right back. Instead, he focused on the layers of atmosphere that laid ahead on the other side of the glass, the ship beginning to rattle as it began to move into a different layer of the same atmosphere. He honestly did not want to lie to Ki-Adi, but then he also didn't want to tell him the truth. He was torn between both aspects, however he didn't want to give in to either one.

"I am just nervous about the mission ahead," Obi-Wan responded at last, his voice quavering slightly. To his relief, Ki-Adi just nodded and did not peruse the matter further.

Some things were better off unsaid and unheard.

****

Vegeta paced along the kitchen area of the ship much like he had done earlier in the room inside the Jedi Temple, his face filled with more anger then before. All were becoming restless, wanting this journey to be over with so that they could go on with their normal lives. They knew what was just ahead of them on a distant planet, but this also contradicted itself in a way. None knew exactly what was there on Tatooine or what other forces had now joined up with the Sith. They had to rely on what they knew and what little powers they had in this universe.

Krillin was sitting at the table, looking interesting in a small crack that had formed long ago on one of the edges of the table. Yamcha and Tien were on either side of Krillin, each staring up at the ceiling with glazed looks on their faces as they were deep in thought. Goku was standing near the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes staring at the ground beneath him. He was also deep in thought, but for another reason.

"I can't take this any longer," Vegeta growled, breaking the silence in the room. No one seemed to care that the Saiyan had said that, none even bothering looking in his direction when he had uttered those words. They continued to be amused in some way, which helped them to control their boredom. "I just had enough of waiting."

"We know, Vegeta," Goku said, raising his eyes up. There was a determined yet scared look on his face, like he was afraid but brave to go into battle without knowing what was going on. Krillin glanced up at his friend, noticing the look on the second Saiyan's face.

"What is it, Goku?" He asked, half afraid of the answer. All seemed to come out of their trances to look over towards him; even Vegeta stopped pacing long enough to hear the answer to the question.

"It's the portal," Goku said quietly, his eyes moving along everyone that was in the room. "Even if we defeat Frieza, the Sith, and the rest of them, others will want to go through the portal, good or bad. We can't let that happen."

"I am sure that the Jedi will be able to find some way to make sure nothing else goes through it," Yamcha said hopefully.

"I don't think that the portal is something they would be worried about constantly," Goku explained. "It needs to be closed some way."

"But how?" Vegeta demanded irritably. "We know _nothing_ about the portal, and I am sure that these so-called 'Jedi' don't either."

"I'd suggest that some how we could blast it from our end, but it would probably have the same effect on this universe like it has on ours," Tien said. "There has to be a way to close it from the inside, like a blast to make it unstable so that it would close."

"How would we make it unstable then?" Krillin asked, looking over at Goku. The Saiyan half smiled at the question. "We could ask the Jedi to send something into it, like a ship, and have it be destroyed while moving from one universe to the other." Then an fleeting expression of excitement came upon his face. "Maybe we could also send Garlic, Jr. on that ship as well."

"Someone is going to have to make sure the ship stays on it's course and it is destroyed _inside_ the portal," Vegeta spat out, causing the excitement to leave Krillin's face. He then went back to studying the table once again, a defeated look on his face.

"I'll do it, then," Goku offered without thinking. Everyone looked over at him, surprised looks on their faces.

"Goku, are you crazy? You'd be killed," Yamcha cried. Goku smiled softly, nodding his agreement.

"I know I will, but it would be the only way. I am sure there is a way that one of the Jedi can program a ship, like Bulma did with the one Vegeta and I came into this universe in, to go into the portal and destroy itself in the process," The Saiyan said, the smile fading. Vegeta narrowed his eyes, moving swiftly over to him. He then grabbed the front of Goku's clothing and pulled him off of the wall.

"There is no way in hell you are going to get yourself killed just because this portal has to be closed," He said icily, letting go of Goku before turning his back upon him. There was something different inside Vegeta's eyes that hadn't been there before. Something they hadn't seen before and probably won't again. "There _will_ be another way."

"Why do you even care, Vegeta?" Yamcha demanded. The Saiyan didn't answer, instead turning towards the doorway without word. The doors opened up, allowing him to exit swiftly before they closed behind him. Tien and Yamcha looked at each other with odd looks on their faces, Krillin staring at Goku, still dumbfounded that his friend would suggest doing something like he did. Goku, on the other hand, acted like Vegeta hadn't even been in front of him as he leaned back against the wall and resumed looking down at the ground.

This would be a long journey back to Tatooine.

****

Amidala pulled on the chains that bound her wrists, seeing if they would pull out of the wall. She had already pulled some of the chains that bounded her ankles slightly out of the wall, although it wasn't much to get herself out of. Whoever the Sith was, he made sure that he could hold someone inside the ship very well. However, there was always a way to get out of something, no matter how hard it was.

Just as she was pulling on the left chain, the door to the room slid open and a form stepped inside. The queen immediately stopped pulling on the chain and looked up to see who had entered only to look away in disgust. As the doors closed behind him, Frieza moved forwards, his tail swishing behind him. Once he got in front of Amidala, he stopped and knelt down where he was. She did not look at him, her face contorted in anger.

"Comfortable?" The Icejin purred, looking delighted that someone was enjoying waiting less for the Jedi and the Saiyans then he was. Amidala gave him a sideways glare, fighting the urge to take one of the chains bounding her to the wall and strangling him with it. 

"They will come and get me out of this," She answered, moving her eyes away from him for a moment before turning her head towards him. Frieza smiled, looking smug.

"They will come, that is for sure. I don't know about getting you out of this," He said, standing up. "You may find yourself with company very soon."

"We'll see," Amidala said coldly, gripping the chains tightly. 

"There are other ways to get you out of this mess," He said, his lips moving into a bigger smile. Amidala didn't say anything, keeping her anger in check so that she wouldn't do something she might regret later. 

The urge to do something to the creature standing in front of her was mounting, coming to a point where she might be doing just that. Frieza took the hint that he wasn't welcomed inside the small room, turning on his heel as he made his way towards the doors that he had come through. When he stopped in front of them, the doors opened up some to allow him to walk through the now open doorway. He didn't move, turning his head over his shoulder for a moment.

"You always have the option of joining us or dieing. Whichever you prefer," The Icejin said before walking forwards. Once the tip of his tail was out of the way of the doors, they slid shut without waiting for the queen to say something else to him. Amidala looked over at the now closed doors, letting go of the chains that had been in her hands.

Death, it seemed, was only one option she wasn't going to take.

****

Bulma sat at one of the computers that was inside one of the buildings of Capsule Corp., her fingers typing furiously across the keypad. Her eyes did not waver from the screen as symbols, letters, and small gray boxes popped up and moved across the screen. It was something she could understand but not the one that was standing behind her, looking at the jumble of mess that made no sense to him.

She had been sitting at the computer for the last two hours without stop, the Name only coming inside the room where the woman was working no more then five minutes ago. He, like the other Briefs, were interested in why Bulma had cooped herself inside the room. Mrs. Briefs was worried that her daughter wouldn't be finished with her work in time for breakfast, so Piccolo quickly went to check on Bulma himself. It was something he didn't mind doing since was concerned more with the fate of two universes then with breakfast.

"What exactly are you doing?" Piccolo asked, eyeing the blue haired woman from behind her. Bulma didn't answer him right away, keeping her focus on the screen in front of her so that she wouldn't loose her place. A moment after he had asked her that question, a gray box popped up in the middle of the screen, information continually running down the page. She stopped typing, her eyes darting along the words as she tried to sort it out.

"I think I've got it," She said breathlessly as soon as the words stopped appearing inside the box. She turned the chair around, standing up so she wouldn't have to tilt her head back so much to be able to talk to the tall Namek. He gave her a look that indicated he wanted to know what was so great about this, Bulma smiling brightly at him. "No, it's not a ship to go through the other side. I think I've found out what made the portal open up."

"Oh," Piccolo said, looking slightly disappointed but nevertheless still looked interested at what the woman had finally found out. Bulma turned her body sideways, pointing to the screen that was alit with information.

"Dad sent in a probe to check out what was going on out there and it got sucked into the portal. Thankfully, it was still feeding this computer with information before the connection with it vanished an hour later." Bulma turned her head towards the screen as she moved a finger down to where there was a computer enhanced image of the portal from their side of it on the screen. "It looks like something had slowly forced it open, creating a rift between two universes. However, this doesn't mean that the second universe isn't a part of our own since ours hasn't been fully explored. That is just a theory which doesn't look like it could be true."

"What do you think caused this rift to open?" He asked, leaning forwards some. Bulma didn't say anything at first, lowering her arm to her side as she sat back down upon the chair.

"I think it may have had something to do with Trunks coming from and going back into the future," She said quietly, looking at the screen. Piccolo glanced down at her then looked back at the screen. "That's one thing that could have caused it to open up. Maybe, with Earth's gravity also a factor, the portal opened up, but very slowly."

"Wouldn't that have made us go into _his_ future?"

"That's the problem, Piccolo. I don't know if this other universe _is_ his future," Bulma said in a even quieter voice, looking down at her hands. "If it is, then I could send something into the portal and...."

"No," Piccolo said firmly, his face turning serious. Bulma looked up at him, not at all surprised at the single word he had said. "Once Goku and the others come back through the portal, then it is going to have to close. I don't think that there should be any risks in trying to find something out that we shouldn't even know about. The question is, how is the portal going to close?"

"The center of it is very unstable and could very well start to break down if something were to go off inside of it, like a explosion. That is another problem all in itself." She spread her hands apart. "I have no working or spare ships to send into the portal and it would take me a while to build another one just for this journey."

"And that's time we don't have to spend," Piccolo said, taking in a deep breath. "Let's hope someone over there has the same idea and better ways of doing it."

Bulma nodded her agreement to that, her eyes looking back at the screen. Now, time could tell what was going to happen.

****

Obi-Wan moved down the corridor to the kitchen area where he knew the group had gathered at, not wanting to see them again until they had reached the desert planet. Even so, he knew he had to tell them of the ship's position to Tatooine and how much longer it would be until they reached their destination. This was the least enjoyable part of this mission, but is one that Ki-Adi insisted that he do to keep everyone happy. _It will keep them from coming into the cockpit every hour to get an update,_ had been his exact wording on the subject.

The Jedi knew Ki-Adi was right and didn't want a irritable Saiyan stomping into the cockpit every so often to know what was going on and demanding why they weren't at Tatooine yet. There was enough going on at the moment without worrying who was going to come and bother them or having more tension on the ship then there already was. Rescuing Amidala was hard enough, facing the Sith and the rest was another. Obi-Wan didn't know how he was going to do that even with the strength he had in himself and the Force that guided him. It was just something that he was going to have to do and hopefully live through it.

As soon as Obi-Wan got to the doorway that lead into the kitchen, he took in a deep breath and stepped in front of the doorway. The metal doors slid open, revealing the room as he stepped inside. Almost all eyes turned to him as the doors closed behind the Jedi, who looked just as happy to be in the room with them as they did. Goku was the only one who did not bother to look at the one who had just entered, instead keeping his eyes upon the ground.

"What is it this time?" Yamcha asked, eyeing Obi-Wan coolly. It was clear by his tone of voice that he didn't want to know why this person was inside the same room as them or if he had any new information to give them."

"I've just come to tell you the position we are in right now," He said, clasping his hands in front of him. He allowed several minutes of silence to go past, taking in the unwelcoming stares he was getting. Turning around and sighing, he pressed his lips into a thin line. "I see that you probably don't want to know where we are and how much further we have to go until we reach Tatooine, so I'll just leave."

"To hell you will," Vegeta said before Obi-Wan could take a step forwards to where he had just come from. The Jedi turned his head to the left, his eyes falling upon the Saiyan that was standing not far from the wall. "How much longer do we have? We've been inside the ship for at least an hour already."

"It's more like three, Vegeta," Obi-Wan corrected him before moving on. "Ki-Adi has the ship going at the maximum speed it can go at. Right now, it looks like we will be reaching Tatooine in matter of three and a half hours."

"How come it's taking less time to get to Tatooine then it did to Coruscant?" Tien asked him.

"For several reasons. One, the ship is going faster then it did on our trip to Coruscant. Two, because we don't want to risk any danger to the people of the Outer Rim if the Sith or Frieza should get the urge to do something before we reach there, like destroy a township. Three, the queen's life is in danger and she is one of the Senates biggest supporters. And four," Obi-Wan paused a moment, not knowing if he should continue or not. He considered it, but decided it would be better to say it now so no question would be asked later, "I want to get this mission over and done with as soon as possible. The less time the portal is accessible to people and other creatures, the less chance of it being a danger to everyone in both universes."

"We were having a discussion on the portal not too long ago," Goku said quietly, his gaze staying upon the ground. Obi-Wan turned to the second Saiyan, an interested look upon his face. "It might be to some interest of you."

"Go on," The Jedi said, hoping that this extended conversation was worth hearing it.

"We need to have that portal closed so something like this doesn't happen again," Krillin said, trying not to look as though something was wrong somewhere else. "We thought that we could have it be closed from the inside instead of trying to close it from either side."

"There is several problems with this though," Tien explained. "We don't have anything to destroy it with, like something that is unstable and would go off inside something like the portal. If we did, then there is the problem of having to get that object into the portal and going off inside of it without any harm doing to either universe."

"Well, we have things called thermal detonators that could work in this situation or something even more powerful," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, turning his body to face the others. "Not hard to find on Tatooine if one would look in the right place and pay the right amount. As for getting it into the portal, something small would be useful, like a small ship or escape pod would work. Easily setting the ship to fly into the portal and having the detonators go off at a certain time is a tricky situation, but it would work. But that idea has one problem."

"Let me guess. No one to make sure that it does work from inside the ship, correct?" Yamcha said with a sigh. 

"Correct you are," Obi-Wan agreed. It was then that Goku looked up, a grim expression on his face.

"You have me," He said flatly. Obi-Wan looked over at the Saiyan with a surprised look on his face.

"I will not risk your life even if you wanted to," The Jedi said flatly, not knowing that his words echoed the thoughts of everyone else in the room. "There are always droids to make sure that something like this is done. One can be easily programmed to do a task such as this."

"A machine guiding another machine," Vegeta grumbled. "I don't think it is a wise decision. I've lived in a place surrounded by machines long enough to know how that works. There is always a chance something could go wrong."

"You do have a point there, Vegeta," Obi-Wan said lightly. "But I don't want to have anyone of you killed because the portal has to be closed, so the option of using a droid is the only one we have."

"If your option fails, then what?" Goku asked, glancing over towards the Jedi. "It would be better if I made sure that the portal is closed. It isn't worth seeing if your idea works or not because it might do both universes more damage then it should."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth then closed it, feeling his anger boiling upwards quickly. There was no time for any of them to start being hero's at this point, which included the ones that were not in the room at the present moment. Yet, he knew that using a droid probably wouldn't work nor did they have the time to program a workable droid. Anakin would be able to re-program a droid to navigate a ship the size of a medium-sized escape pod, but those were probably hard to find in Tatooine. 

"I see your point in this option. If it comes to sacrificing a living being, then it will be done. Only if there is no other way, that is," Obi-Wan told them. "Is there anything else that you need to tell me or want to know before I return to the cockpit?"

No one said a word, all looking at each other to see if there was anything else to add to what they had already said. When all shook their heads at random points, the Jedi smiled slightly and turned around to the doorway. He took a step forwards, the metal doors opening up as he waited for them to do so. All eyes were upon him as he left the kitchen, all in their own thoughts.

****

Frieza moved down the corridor from where Amidala was being held, his ruby red eyes staring forwards. His tail swished behind him silently, calm for the first time since he had come into this universe. In fact, he didn't feel like killing or destroying anything or anyone like he had several moments ago when he had been in front of the queen. Maybe it was the calming effect of walking down a corridor of a ship without the need to have to do anything.

He knew that would soon change when the Saiyans and himself came face-to-face with one another. The Icejin smiled to himself at the mere thought of having the advantage over the Saiyans once again. Since these two Saiyans didn't seem to have any power on this side of the portal, they would be an easy target to destroy. That gave him more comfort and pleasure since he would be getting rid of the last two Saiyans that was left in the two universes. Then there would be no one else to rival him.

His thoughts were shattered by the footsteps of someone coming towards him. Frieza looked up and saw his father coming towards him, arms at his side as he walked down the corridor but coming from the other way. Their eyes met each others as they soon stopped in the middle of the corridor, facing the other. They stayed like this for several minutes without word before one spoke.

"Where have you been?" Cold asked smoothly, his eyes flickering over top of his son's head for a second as he looked down the direction he had come from.

"Nowhere," Frieza said as calm as he could, hoping that the calmness that he had felt not even a minute ago would not leave him entirely. Somehow, it had been nearly shattered when his father asked him a simple question. "Where are you going then?"

"To find you. You had walked out of the room without word...." Cold's voice trailed off, leaving any words he wanted to say left unsaid. Frieza frowned, knowing exactly why his father had come after him. Siddious probably didn't trust the Icejin inside the ship, or even around it for that matter, therefore sent someone after him to make sure nothing was amiss.

His frown deepened, wondering exactly why the Sith had sent Cold after him. Not trusting anyone was a theory; hell, Frieza didn't even trust his own family around him. That fact alone didn't stop them from doing things around Frieza nor did it make him wonder what they were doing. _Maybe there is something more to this then we know,_ He thought to himself as he stepped around his father without word.

Cold watched his son walk around him and then down the corridor they were in. He turned his body half way around to watch him better, his arms crossing over his chest. He stayed where he was for several minutes, giving Frieza more then enough time to go back to where the others were before he began to walk along the same path that Frieza had taken. However, he was going much slower then his son was, not wanting to get back into the presence of the Sith just yet.

****

Siddious sat at the controls, his hands moving over the radar that would detect when any ship he was looking for came within range of his own. This way, he would be able to know when the Jedi and the Saiyans came back upon Tatooine, looking for the queen and possibly more. It would be a long wait for them, with little to do other then to keep his companions from doing something that would cause his plans to go up in smoke.

He knew that the Jedi would react swiftly if someone's life was involved in this, even quicker if it was Amidala. To them, she was important to the Senate and possibly the rest of the galaxy. Siddous didn't see how or why someone like a ruler of a small backwater planet would be so useful to something that was even bigger then the kingdom in which she ruled over. Senators and large corporations were more important then one queen's life, keeping certain business's quiet and with few people knowing was even more important. 

The doors of the cockpit opened swiftly, the sounds of someone entering echoing off of the metal walls. There was no words spoken to indicate who it was as the doors closed again and the form of another came next to the Sith. He didn't look over towards this stranger right away, instead keep his eyes focused upon the controls for several more moments. After making sure that there were no Jedi ship outside the desert planet's upper atmosphere, Siddious turned away from the radar to look upon Frieza, who was staring coldly at him with his ruby eyes.

"They aren't here yet, if that is what you came here to know," Siddious said icily, folding his hands upon his lap. Frieza crossed his arms over his chest, turning his body towards the window of the cockpit. He watched people move in front of the ship, small droids moving along as they pulled things behind them or carried things that no Human could. Other creatures were milling around, some looking over their shoulders to make sure that no one was in their business or close enough to hear it.

"Perhaps it was," The Icejin said after a few moments of silence, his tail flickering behind him. "What are your plans with the queen?"

"Why do you ask? I thought you wanted to kill her after this was over," Siddious asked, turning his head to the window as well.

"She could have some use for us," Frieza said, his lips curving into a smile. 

"In more ways then one. With the right conditions, that is. She seems to have an affinity for her own home, while it is also her weakness." Siddious sighed, knowing all too true that weakness could always bring one down. He had his own weaknesses, but not ones he openly expressed or showed. "As much as I would like to have her dead, as do several people within the Trade Federation, she is better off alive at this point. After the Senate is dissolved and the galaxy is divided between us, then you can kill her."

"Or she could die now and her death be pawned off upon the Jedi," Frieza said, his smile fading slightly. "She would be a causality of a battle in which the Jedi was a part of. They tried to save her, but their actions caused more harm then good."

"An accidental death that would send shock waves throughout the galaxy and the Senate," The Sith said thoughtfully. It was an idea that could work if more thought was put into it, however it wouldn't be easy. Keeping Amidala quiet and under control wouldn't be easy either, but if certain things were threatened, then she could easily comply. After everything was dissolved within the Senate and he gained power through the loss of the Republic, then it would be all his to control.

Getting rid of Frieza and the others wouldn't be much trouble to start with. Putting them in charge of something small and useless would get them out of the way for the time being before he got rid of them altogether. He knew that creatures that loved power and went after it usually would kill for it, Frieza being one of those creatures. It would be only a matter of time before Siddious would be pushed out of the way and the Icejin would be in control of what wasn't supposed to be his.

And he wasn't going to let that happen.

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To Be Continued


	28. Chapter 27

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Dark Angel

__

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven

It had been a long time indeed, to reach Tatooine. In everyone's mind, they should have been there sooner, but certain things took everything longer to do and time stretched out further. All would be glad to get this over and done with as soon as possible, but not as glad as Obi-Wan, who was leaning forwards, his hands upon the controls of the ship and eyes ablaze. He stared at the desert planet like he had never seen it before, his lips in a thin line and his face serious. If he did not look so serious and the way things were currently, then Ki-Adi would assume that his fellow Jedi looked happy to see a planet so different then the skies of Coruscant.

"We're here," Obi-Wan breathed, leaning backwards from the view-screen and sat back down upon the co-pilots chair. The ship was hovering not too far from Tatooine's out-most atmosphere, having been taken out of hyperspace not more then ten minutes earlier. Both Jedi put the ship in a slower speed so the outer hull wouldn't suddenly burst when they went through the different layers of atmosphere. It would also give time to the group in the kitchen-area to get ready and leave once they landed upon the dunes of sand.

"You sound like you've just come back from a mission and are seeing Coruscant again after a long journey," Ki-Adi said, suppressing a chuckle. Now wasn't the time to laugh or smile; when everything was said and done with, then they could breath a sigh of relief and move on. That was the ways of the Jedi, many had said and thought through the years.

"The sooner we get onto Tatooine, the sooner we'll be able to get this over with," He answered, putting his hands upon his lap. The other nodded, lapsing into silence. Obi-Wan preferred it that way for now, thinking back to what Goku had said about going into the portal to make sure that it closed right. He couldn't get that image out of his head, the one with Goku looking so damned serious about sacrificing his life so that nothing like this happened again. He didn't know the Saiyan that well, and hoped he didn't have to, but he didn't want to risk the life of someone that had so much else to live for.

Then again, there was the threat of something _else_ coming through that portal on either side. What if something went wrong if the idea didn't work? What would it plunge the two universe's into? Goku and Vegeta both had a point; droids _were_ reliable in a sense, but how far would their programming go in a situation like this? The only response to that question, he knew of, would be to send someone who was living and breathing into the portal and make sure everything went right.

"Obi-Wan, I think it is time to get our friends. I'm sure that they are just as ready to get this over with as we are," Ki-Adi said, breaking Obi-Wan out of his thoughts. The ship started to vibrate, indicating that it was entering the first layer of Tatooine's atmosphere. The Jedi shook his head, bringing himself to the present. He slowly stood up, trying to hide his uncertainness as he moved around the chair and started for the cock-pit door. It was now or never and it was better now then never. Whatever lie ahead is out there and there was nothing that anyone could do about it, even the legendary Jedi Knights.

There was someone else that was waiting for this ship to arrive, no matter how early or late it was. Inside the cockpit of another ship, someone cloaked in black had his hidden eyes closed and hands placed lightly upon his lap. Siddious allowed himself this short nap, after making sure that he put up sensors around the doorway to alert him if anyone should enter. None had in the last few hours, giving the Sith the opportunity to rest his eyes after a long period of time. It was better to be alone for a while then to give himself a bigger headache then he had before.

The time he spent relaxing was good; he hadn't had much sleep in the last few days, mostly trying to stay awake so that he could keep a watchful eye over the creatures. He didn't trust them and they didn't trust him, so nothing was lost or gained to either side. Siddious had learned a long time ago, when he had been in his own apprentice years, to not trust anything that could walk and talk, which included most human and non-human beings and droids. That didn't bother him that he wasn't trusted; the less people who trusted him the better.

Suddenly, a loud, piercing sound rang out in the cockpit, causing Siddious to snap his eyes open and quickly move his head over towards the doorway. Nothing had come into the cockpit through the metal doors that he could see. As he turned his head back towards the controls, and straightened his back, he moved his hands along the instruments and slowly turned the sounds off. His ears were still ringing with the sound, cursing himself for turning the sound up to a near-deafening level.

His hidden eyes soon turned upon the small radar screen upon the controls, having set the short-range scanners to warn him if anything should come within the last two layers of Tatooine's atmosphere. To make sure that the sensors didn't immediately trigger the alarms on any false terms, he set them so that only certain ships of certain sizes and speeds would be picked up and those that came close to the same township he was in. Only two other times did he have to reset the sensors and alarms, having them the only disturbance he had since Frieza left the cockpit hours prior.

This time around, however, wasn't a false alarm. The ship that he wanted to be warned of, and wanted to get rid of at the same time, was now moving through the last mile of lower atmosphere. If anyone could see his face, they would see the Sith smiling at this time, pushing a button to turn off the radar and several others to take the sensors offline for the time being. Then he rose from his chair, moving around it as his robes and cloak glided over the metal floor. As much as he hated to do it, Siddious had to get his _friends_ from wherever they were inside the ship.

Then it would be the beginning of the end at long last.

Vegeta was the first to get out of the kitchen area, moving quickly without hesitation so he could get out of there without even a look back. Yamcha and Tien came next, moving not as fast as the Saiyan was, but at a quicker pace then they normally would be going at. Krillin and Goku weren't too far behind them, moving almost at the same speed as their friends were. They were all ready to leave the confines of the ship and be able to move about the sands like they should be.

The ship shuddered as it landed upon the forsaken ground, none really noticing the feeling of the ship. That meant Ki-Adi would be out of the cockpit as soon as he could be, Obi-Wan probably already waiting at the ramp for the rest of them. He hadn't been into the kitchen area more then twenty minutes ago, telling the group that they were inside the reaches of the desert planet's middle atmosphere. Not that any of them didn't feel the movements of the ship; they knew something was going on outside the ship and they hoped it was something good. He had left not long after, supposedly getting ready for anything that would come up.

And it was: they were finally going to face off with Frieza and the rest of them. Vegeta and Goku could handle Cold and Frieza with the rest handled Ginyu and Garlic, Jr. It wouldn't be hard, having to go up against some of the hardest opponents they thought were long since dead, turned into something else, or sent into a rip between planes. All had trained harder then before and were stronger then they had been in five or so years and were more then ready to face these challenges again.

There was silence between them, as if all had already been said. In fact, there were no spoken words to be told between them; nothing could describe the emotions that were going through each at this very moment. Fear, anger, pain; all were too easy to describe something so complicated yet not so easy to ignore. It was best not to talk at all and let it be as it should. When all came together at the end, then they could speak of those moments of pure silence.

It didn't take them long to reach where Obi-Wan was standing inside the ship, hands clasped in front of him and an expressionless face as he waited for the others to arrive. Anakin stood almost next to him, hand already on the buttons that would most likely open the doorway to the desert sands and into the battle that laid ahead. There were no signs of Ki-Adi; at least, the ones that they could see as the strangers came to a halt in front of the Jedi, ready as ever to get the fight, and this journey, over with.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Open the damned ramp so we can get out of here," Vegeta snapped out, glaring over towards Anakin. The boy didn't do anything except deter his attention away from the Saiyan.

"We aren't going anywhere until Ki-Adi finishes with landing this ship, which will be any moment now," Obi-Wan said smoothly, a forced half-smile coming onto his lips before that faded as quickly as it had come. Vegeta snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I've had enough of waiting," He said icily. The ship shuddered at the sounds of sand hitting metal, the heat rising even at this hour.

"We all have, my friend," A voice said lightly, as footsteps echoed down the corridor. Only Vegeta looked around Obi-Wan to see Ki-Adi walking towards them, arms and hands at his side. He stopped behind Obi-Wan, turning his head slightly towards Anakin before giving him a nod. The boy didn't say anything as he pushed the buttons along the wall, the sounds of gears turning and metal moving away from metal silently moving inside the ship. The ramp started to move slowly down to the sand below not even a moment later, the heat from the planet already seeping into the ship itself.

As the ramp descended to the ground, Obi-Wan took these last few placid seconds to look around him. Vegeta looked impatient and irate from waiting, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien looked either scared or were secretly wishing they weren't there; Goku, on the other hand, looked totally calm. It was as if he wasn't frightened at the mere thought that he, like his friends and the Jedi, could die in the battle that laid ahead. Obi-Wan had been in situations where his own life, and the lives of others, were at stake, but nothing like this had happened. Perhaps the Saiyan just knew that he was going into this without coming back.

"About damn time," Vegeta grumbled, his arms now at his sides as he was the first to descend down upon the sand. The rest hesitated, waiting a moment before they too walked down to their fate. Before he jumped down upon the ground, Anakin pressed several other buttons, allowing the ramp to meet the ship once again. He got out of the ship before it closed, looking back at it longingly as if he didn't want to go.

"Come on, young one," Ki-Adi called out to him, as the boy took one last look at the ship and ran to catch up with the others. It hadn't been that long since he had been last upon this planet, but a good three years since his heart beat this fast. Perhaps it was the rush that he felt when the wind went against him, the sand underneath his boots, or the warmth he felt from the twin suns. Or maybe it was because there was something inside the cities that he didn't want to get hurt.

"I would say that this is just like every mission we've been on, but I can't," Obi-Wan said. Anakin looked up to see the Jedi walking beside him, where as the others were more ahead of them then they would have liked to be.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because we knew something was trying to go against whatever other forces lay out in the galaxy and beyond that. Here, we don't." Obi-Wan looked up at the looming city in front of them, his eyes moving over the figures of those that were more then ready to leave. He started to walk faster then he did before, Anakin rushing to catch up with the Jedi.

He didn't know what Obi-Wan meant, but he didn't know that this was going to be one hell of a day.

Amidala didn't know what was going on outside, but she heard the frantic footsteps echoing off of the metal door that bound her inside. Those footsteps soon disappeared into the rest of the ship, her hopes of getting out of there already long since gone. If something was wrong out there, she wouldn't know. She would be forgotten about eventually, if she had any hope of that; the Sith wouldn't allow someone like her to be ignored, even if she served no purpose to him any longer. Death, to her, would be the only other option out of this that she had.

She sighed, leaning her head against the cool metal wall behind her. It had been countless hours, perhaps even a full day, since the transmission to the Council and here she was, still sitting there in chains. It didn't bother her so much that she was just there, all alone; it was bothersome to know that she had to be rescued. It boiled inside of her, entering her veins, coursing through her blood---here she was, Queen of Naboo and the one who helped bring down the Trade Federation's blockade, and she was sitting in a room, waiting for someone to come and rescue her. She hated that, knowing that she couldn't do anything to stop these creatures and having to wait for the Jedi to come and get her.

The doors to the room opened, Amidala not even bothering to look up to see who was retrieving her. She closed her eyes, listening to the footsteps coming towards her while the sounds of the doors closing behind the stranger pulsed through her ears. Whoever was there, Frieza most likely, was ready to come and get her, for whatever purpose the Sith wanted her for. The chains around her ankles and wrists were slowly taken off, one by one, before all four clanked upon the ground. She was roughly pulled up into a standing position, her eyes snapping open with a glare towards whoever had pulled her up.

"It's time to go," Ginyu muttered, grabbing hold of her left wrist and pushing her forward. The doors opened when she was pushed towards them, stumbling out into the corridor. She looked both ways, her mind thinking of a quick escape route when a pair of hands came upon her upper arms. "Don't even think it."

"I wasn't," The Queen lied through her teeth as she was pushed forwards. He turned her to the left, pushing her forwards yet keeping her within his grasp. It was a horrible sense, knowing that this was probably the last time she would be breathing. "Where are you taking me?"

"Out," Was all that he said as he kept his grasp on her arms firm. She glared behind her, her eyes turning cold towards Ginyu, as she was taken around a narrow corner. Was she being lead to her death or was there something the Sith had in mind for her? She didn't know; perhaps the Jedi had really come to get her and she was being lead towards the fight between both sides. Maybe as a witness to a slaughter of innocent people that did not need to be involved in something that didn't even concern them.

As Amidala was lead to the right, down yet another small corridor, voices streamed from up ahead. One was a growling, snotty voice, one she could only match as Cold's; the other, Frieza, with his spoiled tone and squealing hiss. She could only imagine what petty thing they were snapping about now as all talk ceased and warm air touched what little exposed skin there was on her body. From that air she knew that they were still upon the desert planet, ready and waiting for their prey.

Ginyu lead the Queen around one last corner, where the open ramp laid and the others stood. The Sith stood silently in the middle of the ramp, hands clasped in front of him and hood pulled over his face. Frieza and Cold stood not far from the ramp, Cold standing sideways and arms crossed over his chest; he didn't bother to look at her for reasons she already knew. Frieza gave her a look of pure venom, his tail hitting the ground twice before he stormed down the ramp and past Siddious. whatever words had been exchanged between them, it didn't seem to have been good as Cold followed his son in almost the same manner.

"What's going on?" Amidala asked, staring daggers at the cloaked figure. If he had heard her at all, he didn't seem to take notice of those words as he turned and walked down the ramp without uttering a sound. Ginyu pushed her forwards, letting go of one of her arms but still maintaining a firm grip on the other. He kept her at no longer then an arms length away from him, making sure that she did not get away. The Tatooine heat rose up from the dusting sands, the warmth not fading from the twin suns that bore down from sunrise to sunset.

As soon as her feet touched the sand, she was stopped without warning. She wanted to glare back at Ginyu again, but her neck wouldn't allow her as her eyes drifted down to another that she seemed not to have seen before. He was short, barely even coming up to Frieza's waist, hood hovering over his face but his features still visible, unlike the Sith's. He was staring past her, perhaps at the ship, with cool eyes and a emotionless face; like the others, she could only wonder what he was thinking.

"No more questions, Your Majesty. We don't need to be listening or answering them," The Sith said, turning his back upon her. Frieza smirked at her, his head turned over his shoulder and ruby eyes glittering in the fading light. She could almost see him lashing out at her with his tail if he wanted to, taking her by the throat and pulling her closer to him. Yet, he remained still, intent on savoring the moment for just a bit longer. That, or he had be instructed not to kill or harm her in any way.

Her eyes casually drifted towards the open ramp, perhaps only because no one had bothered to close it just yet. An easy escape route for them, she imagined as she was pushed forwards through them, if things got a little hectic for them. Ginyu kept her close to a point and at the front of the group as they started to lead her out of the closed-in space port. If it was courtesy for the lives around them, or if it was just to give them more room to fight, they left the shop opened and unarmed. Or, as open and unarmed that Amidala could see. Whether there was something inside or outside that guarded the ship, she didn't know or care. She was there because she was the bait in the trap, on that she didn't know if she or the Jedi would be able to survive.

If any of Amidala's fears were correct, the Sith behind her wasn't going to let her live, even if he won or lost whatever battles that were ahead. She had seen the creatures from some place outside the known galaxy, whatever they were; she barely recalled what either Frieza or Cold told her they were, but her mind drew a blank after that. Besides, it wasn't normal for them to fly without a ship around them, so she figured they either weren't from anywhere in the known galaxy or she was just imagining them. If there was any plans that these creatures had, she assumed that none of them would take the chance of having her live if she had overheard them speaking about them. It wasn't a chance for the Jedi, or whoever was with them, to foil these plans, so killing off all respected allies of these Jedi would be the best for them.

She had been lucky last time in dealing with something evil and dark; she not only had the Jedi to fall onto when she needed them, but the Gungans and the many pilots that had helped to bring down the blockade. Here, she didn't know if the Sith and his allies were already marching her out to her death, not waiting for anyone to come into their nice little trap so that they could rescue her. If they were, they might be too late to get her out of there. Even if she was lucky enough to escape on her own, would she be able to for long? She knew that she could, yet still had the trouble of being caught by those that could easily take to the air and find her overhead.

The open streets of the desert township looked deserted enough, except for the few wandering souls that were either too drunk to get home properly or looking for another tavern to drink in. All knew that there were probably more taverns then there were junkyards and other small shops put together. If, and it was a big if, any looming battles could be diverted from the streets to just outside the township's walls, then no more lives would be at stake they already were. Even then, it could wander back into where they had begun, causing more damage then need be. _Even if they are hiding here from whatever is chasing them from their past, the people living her don't need to be caught up in a battle that is not theirs to begin with,_ She thought quietly to herself.

Not a moment after that thought crossed her mind, Amidala was pushed roughly into the sand below as a gust of abnormal wind shot past her. She barely had time to put her hands up to keep her face from receiving the full extent of the fall as flesh met hot sand. Upon impact, the queen quickly rolled over upon her back, only to find herself staring up at nothing but sky above her. Not one of these strange creatures were hovering over her, perhaps to snicker at how clumsy she was. She stayed upon her back for a moment before standing to her feet, which was a mistake to begin with. She found herself coming face-to-face with her kidnappers, all except for one: Frieza. Every one of them, save for the Sith, was looking at a point above them, as if they were transfixed on something in the air.

She turned her upper body around to see where he had gone, which was her second mistake, only to find no one there. If she had looked up higher, to where the others were looking and her vision could see objects and people moving in a unheard of fast pace, she would have see two creatures fighting it out above the sand and township. As it were, she did not realize that the fight had already begun and had made the mistakes of getting up and turning her attention away from the ones that deserved her sight until she was grabbed roughly by the waist and turned around fully to face the way that Frieza had gone in.

"Don't even think about escaping, Your Highness. You still have some use for us yet," Siddious growled in her ear, one arm around her waist while the other was possibly reaching for that lightsabre she figured he had. He then nodded to the others, who barely were even paying attention to what the Sith was doing. "Go do what you want with them, but leave the Jedi alone as much as you can. I want them alive as much as possible."

There were no other words between them as Ginyu, Cold, and the unknown creature pushed off from the ground and flew the short distance to the battle above. It now had begun, perhaps for the better or perhaps for the worst for the planet and the rest of the galaxy. Whatever the outcome of the battle would be, at least it would be over in a sense of life or death.

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To Be Continued

Author's Note: Don't hate me because I don't have the actual fighting in this chapter. Yes, the battle started now. Yes, the next chapter is the fighting chapter. Yes, I'm that evil.


	29. Chapter 28

Dark Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the fic all of this is in. That is all.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Every one of them could feel the high energy radiating from the foreign township, every last bit burning through their bodies as if their flesh was on fire from the sun. Each level of power rippled through them like a wave through water, with each level becoming higher and higher as they reached the center of the waves. It was like a big ocean, Tatooine, but it was an ocean of sand, dust, and heat, yet the center of the ripples was not at the center of the planet itself. No, it came straight from the very township that they once had been in not even a day before.

The powers had been felt by more then just them and they knew that. That was why Vegeta left in a plume of dust, left behind all others so those that could not feel these levels of power would not know where he went. Even without sight, all but three of the mismatched band of aliens and humans alike knew where he had gone off to and why, allowing the last bit of the sand to settle so that those certain three knew that Vegeta was gone. Then the others would leave, with little words spoken to each other.

"Whatever you do, don't get involved with the fight with Freiza. That is Vegeta's battle, not ours," Goku said, his whole entire face frozen with seriousness. Although his face showed that seriousness behind this, his voice quavered with uneasiness. It wasn't hard to know why: they were now fighting fights that were supposed to have been fought years before and finished.

"Believe me. I wouldn't fight Frieza again, if I wanted to and could," Krillin muttered right back, looking just as uneasy as Goku's voice sounded. There were nods from Tien and Yamcha, who both bent their knees in preparation to launch off of the ground. As soon as the energy moved through their body, into their legs, and at the base of their feet, thus allowing them to push themselves off of the ground, they moved into the air, going quickly so that the battle wouldn't be fought by one being alone. This took no more then five seconds, giving little to the imagination as to what they had done and where they were going.

Krillin hesitated, before doing the same as his two companions; judging by the look that was upon his face, he did not want to appear in the middle of battle, even if he was not the one fighting Frieza. Goku stayed behind, perhaps allowing the two Jedi and one young Padawan to catch up to the four that were more then ready to fight this battle and go home. He moved his head over his shoulder as soon as Obi-Wan slowed down, panting from the heat to show that he did more then just walk to the very edge of the township.

"There will be more then one battle going on at the same time today. You worry about your battle and we will worry about ours," The Saiyan said, with a small nod to Obi-Wan, who nodded right back at him as Ki-Adi and Anakin came right behind the first Jedi. He barely gave himself time to turn his head back around fully before he, the last unknown stranger to leave, bent his knees and pushed himself forcefully off of the ground, leave a plume of dust in their faces.

"Why did he have to do that so close?" Anakin grumbled, coughing and rubbing his eyes to get the sand out of them. Neither Ki-Aid nor Obi-Wan seemed too fazed that they had just gotten a blast of sand upon their faces, wiping off the sand from their cheeks as they unhooked their lightsabres from their belts, intent on keeping themselves in their own battle. Goku was right: there _would_ be two battles that day, going on together without notice of the other. The Jedi had their own while the strangers from a distant universe had their own.

But it was the same thing, the same cause, the same way of life, even if those same things meant differently to them. Hopefully both would have the same outcome as the other, the Jedi moving into the township to claim the second battle for their own.

* * *

He had waited for this moment to come, long before he knew any of those in the group. Everyone had been strangers to him, no matter where he was then or where they were now. Regardless if he knew them, why he did, or where they were traveling to, this moment was his and his alone. He'd be damned if anyone, Goku included, would take it away from him again. Not now. Not today. This was _his_ battle and he was intent on fighting it.

When he was younger, when children his age should have been already training under those that were long since gifted with the art of fighting, that was all he could think about was Frieza's death. Who would have been stupid enough to go against him? Who would be strong enough, even, to challenge him? At that moment, he made a mental promise that he would make _himself_ stronger to kill Frieza by his own hand. He didn't care how he did it, even if the last breath he took was knowing that Frieza had gone down by _his_ hand. If he died, at least it would be in honor.

Vegeta had felt the presence of Frieza just like the others had, the simple fact that the others hadn't moved from the same township still registering in their minds when he took to the air without even a thought to those now below him. The dust and sand from his take-off hadn't even cleared yet when he was nearly over the township, feeling the energy he felt so many times rushing through his body. It coursed through his veins, swirled around him like a wind, and made him feel like he was doing more then just flying. It was a feeling that he hadn't felt in three years; what once had been dormant now came out of hiding and was ready to be put to the test once again.

Frieza must have been ready for this, because no sooner did the Saiyan feel the strength of the Icejin come upon him was there a sound of energy rushing towards him, the impact coming not a moment later. It caught him off guard, the brightness of the energy orb and the strength behind it; this would have killed someone who could not keep their body safe from the attack. Vegeta fumbled in the air as the energy washed over him before it disappeared and he soon regained his flying ability. It had come to his surprise this had come out of nowhere, when Frieza seemed to not be close enough to use a low-ranged energy attack, nor did it seem unusual that it barely even fazed the Saiyan. Perhaps it was just a warning shot, one to tell him that everything had an end and the race for the two universes had begun. Or perhaps it was just to tell him that his opponent was just as ready as he was.

It took him a moment to find where Frieza was, hovering not far from where his target once had been. Vegeta smiled, feeling the power inside him increase, his body slowly changing into the levels beyond which Frieza had seen before. It was a raw power that he could easily tap into, without any though to what he was doing or why he was doing it. His eyes flashed cyan, his hair gold, his body pulsing underneath the aura of light that shone brightly in the sky. Those that have never seen such a sight would have marveled at it, if they had seen it at all. Strength was one thing to have as a warrior, but agility was another fact in which all must learn. If they had seen it, perhaps some would shrug it off as a fraction of light and go about their daily business as if nothing had happened at all.

There wasn't any words exchanged between old foes as Icejin and Saiyan charged for each other, ignoring those that were upon the ground. They were nothing compared to the powers that were now throwing punch after punch to each other, both equally strong in their own rights. Hit after hit went upon arms, stomachs, faces, and chests, blow after blow being received without hesitation. Neither one flinched in pain, their strength surpassing the feelings of the early battle. Both were battle hardened, one seeing more then he should have and the other too blinded by power to care.

Their hands locked together, crackles of energy bursting between them lightning. It was hard to tell which held more hatred for the other, Frieza or Vegeta; in the end, it wouldn't mater either way, for there would be only one of the two walking away from this battle. And neither one was more willing then the other to see his enemy laying motionless in the sand amidst blood, defeated.

"I have been waiting for your arrival. It has taken you long to get this far, hmmm?" Frieza smirked, leaning his head forwards some. "Have trouble finding this planet? Or were you too scared to face me?"

"I fear nothing," Vegeta said coldly, pushing himself away. He should have felt more anger towards that comment then he did; instead, he felt nothing in those words that made his blood boil. His anger had long since reached it's limit with Frieza and now he was ready to unleash it's fury upon him. This was his chance and he knew he would never get it again.

"I can hear it in your voice, Vegeta. You may say you are fearless, but look at where you are." Frieza spread his arms out and downward, towards the desert township below. "You are stuck in an unknown world, in a place where you power is useless, and there is no one to help you."

Vegeta let out a hiss and clenched his teeth together. True, he was in a place in which was not in his element and neither was Frieza, but his power was strong enough to prove the Icejin wrong. As for help, he didn't need any in battling this foe; as long as the others kept the weaker ones at bay, it would give him time to focus on the one in front of him then having to worry about what else was going around him. There was no real need for anyone to help any further, not when this one thing he desired was within his own reach.

"I'll show _you_ who is useless," Vegeta said under his breath, the strength that he had inside him rippling up his back, over his shoulder, through his arms, and into his hand. The strength that he had held in so long that wanted to be released.

And then the real battle began.

* * *

It seemed so much farther way then they had expected it would be, each hoping that it had begun on the other side of the township where there were very few innocent lives in danger of being caught up in something in which they need not be in. And, yet, here it was, the center of the waves of energy, moving quickly as though they wouldn't want curious eyes to watch them fight to the death. There were others that could see them locked in battle, but those were few.

Even though Goku had been the last to leave the Jedi and Padawan behind to move their way through the maze of taverns, housing, and perhaps frightened people, he was the first to stop at the outer edges of a battle that was sorely overdue. The other three stopped a little further away from this battle, their eyes moving from side to side, keeping up with the motions in which Frieza and Vegeta went through. It was only when the two of them stopped, static lightning cackling between them, did the three move back to where Goku was hovering. A part of it was in fear that they would get in the path of a stray attack; the rest was because they had no intentions of fighting a fight that was not theirs. At least by this Saiyan, there was _some_ protection from them.

"That must be her, then," Yamcha muttered, nodding down towards the ground, stationed way below where they were and out of the way so that nothing would hit the ground them. Krillin and Tien glanced down quickly, eyeing the hooded figure that held a woman by the arms. He wasn't even looking at the battle or maybe he was; either way, he paid no heed to the newcomers to the battle. The hood that covered his face hid more then his features.

"Must be," Krillin muttered, looking around. "There is something wrong here. Freiza is the only one fighting instead of the others fighting along side him. Where are they?"

Indeed, it seemed that there were no others that were fighting along side Frieza; odd as it were, the power that they had felt was coming directly from Frieza and Vegeta. There was nothing else to indicate that there were three other fighters there, on the same side that the Icejin hailed from, nor was there anyone other then the two below that stood nearly perfectly still. If there was anyone left to fight, if Vegeta had already battled them as quickly as he had left; even he was not that good of a fighter to keep three others at bay all at once while fighting one with a power so great, it was hard to concentrate on anything else.

The power that radiated from the middle of the rippling, was only a mask to hide what was coming up behind. It was to the dark side's advantage that this mask was made available as the second part of their fight began. No sooner had Krillin asked the question, did a force from behind him slam him in the middle of his back, pushing him forwards with enough force to knock out two normal, fully grown men. The air was sucked out of his lungs, his eyes going wide, and his body free-falling down towards the Tatooine desert before he caught himself from falling any further. He barely had the time to turn around to see who had dealt the blow when another attack hit him, but this time from his stomach.

Whatever had hit him, now was coiling around his mid-section, pulling around him tight enough that it soon felt like he was about to be torn in two. Krillin gasped out for breath, taking only a few short moments to realize what was bounding him tightly. A cold dry snicker came not far from his left ear, a soft breathing echoing like it was deep inside a cavern. Krillin's eyes went to the left, his hands upon the tail that held him right where he was.

"So the others have arrived. Good. I was beginning to become bored with just watching," The snotty, bored voice of Cold whispered in the human's ear. Krillin didn't have to see the Icejin's face to see what kind of expression there was on it; from what he knew of Frieza, and that was little as it was, if the look of pure evil, mixed in with the sheer joy of torturing someone just for the hell of it, was anything like his son's, then Cold's would be the same exact expression as Frieza's.

"You should have stuck with just watching," Krillin muttered. He wasn't about to let this foe keep him in a position such as this, power rising in him slowly and carefully as if he didn't want it to burst out so soon. It went through him like water in a stream, before it was released like a rapid river. His muscles became tighter and firmer, his mind becoming more focused on getting himself out of this grasp so he could come face-to-face with his opponent, even if he was outmatched.

If he could have seen Cold's face, the smirk that was on it would have faded and a look of surprise would have replaced it, when a burst of pure energy emitted from Krillin's body. It was just enough to quickly pry himself from the vice-like grip of Cold's tail and a swift punch to his upper face. Even with that short lapse in time, from a quick but careful power-up to him getting out of this grip, it wasn't enough for Krillin's punch to connect to anything but a hand. A hand in which had been placed to where the punch of the face of the opponent would have been.

"We'll see who should have stayed watching," The Icejin said, frowning as he gripped the human's hand tightly so that it would not escaped his own. Their eyes locked for a few moments, Krillin's mind racing with what to do next. Unlike Vegeta and Goku, his strength did not exceed any of the foe's there.

For just a few short seconds, his eyes moved from Cold's and raised up towards where the other's were. He had expected at least one of them, Yamcha perhaps, to come to his aid, but they were preoccupied with something else besides their friend. He could see both Tien and Yamcha locked in their own fight, two against one, deadly close to Frieza's and Vegeta's own fight. Goku, on the other hand, was no where to be seen. Had he gone off to fight one of them somewhere else or had he gone back to see if the Jedi and young Padawan had decided to come to their battle that would wage on the ground below?

These few seconds cost him more then a moment's worry, when a fist got him right in the middle of his stomach. Krill coughed, his eyes going wide with surprise and pain, as a snicker came from Cold. It stung where he had gotten hit, hid eyes the only thing that was showing the pain that steamed from that unseen attack. This brought him back into reality, where he was in his own fight alone and not wondering where everyone else was.

"Paying attention is the first thing you need to learn," Cold said briskly, withdrawing his hand from Krillin's stomach, placing it to his side. He kept his other upon the other hand tightly, apparently not about to let it go at the moment. "You caught me off guard first and now I have done the same to you. Now that is done with, let the real fighting begin."

* * *

There were only flashes of light, the light that shone off of energies sources that were going head-to-head, fist-to-fist, which the untrained eye could only see. If anyone else had trained as intense as those that were doing battle in the air, they would at least be able to see some of what was going on up above. Their eyes could not see the quick movement of Icejin and Saiyan; at least, those that were still standing in the mists of battle. The townsfolk, although fascinated with the bright lights that seemed to give off some form of electrical shock, had long since gone from this site. Fascination turned to horror as something fell from the invisible battle that flickered quickly: shining lights of what looked like thick balls of lightning.

What was worse for them, considering that each mind thought that the energy would kill them, that the energies there had little to no control after they were away from those that had shot them from the palms of their hands. People ran from the battle, horrified, screaming as if they were being attacked by some strange force that they knew nothing about. Their luck of not being in the path of these would run out, if the side of evil would prevail. Neither side would give up, if it was possible.

Aside from seeing strange comets of light falling from the sky and moving towards the ground, objects started to break when they should not have been able to be broken without someone breaking them by hand. Clay objects like pots, portions of the surrounding houses, taverns, and the like, and things that would normally hold under the heat from the twin suns, started to crumble and break, as if some force was making them fall into pieces. It was from the high energy that came from up above, yet no one wanted to be the next thing that crumbled painfully into crumbs. They did not want to wait to see who won the fight in an unseen battle, many moving quickly and silently from above, hopefully to keep themselves safe from whatever was there.

Siddious was one of those many who could not see nor sense the battle above, yet he was not a part of the crowd that ran far away from it. He was not someone to walk from a battle that he could win; if there was any hint that he was about to lose, then he would leave. Instead, he had his hidden head inclined to where Cold, Ginyu, and Garlic, Jr. once had been hovering, partly curious to see what they could see in the distance. Maybe he did not want to see what was going on, or why those three had just joined in the fight that Frieza had started; deep inside and unspoken, he did not care. He expected that there would be one struggling victor left out of all of them and he would kill that poor soul with one swipe of the Force.

"I grow weary of waiting for your Jedi friends. Perhaps they had come at odds with those they traveled to Tatooine with and were easily taken down. Perhaps they were too cowardly to face me, knowing more then they should about this." Siddious turned his head down, his hands holding the Naboo native tightly by her upper arms. He normally would not have kept her captive himself, using a battle droid or some other life form to keep her tied up, but seeing he was the only one there to keep her confined, he had to do it himself. Although he was smirking underneath his hood, he supposed Amidala was thankful she could not see the glint in his eyes. A glint that would show more then a simple evil in them. "Regardless of how much time they have left to save your life, your death might just come quicker."

"They _will_ come, I assure you. Jedi are not cowards by nature," Amidala muttered, keeping her slightly downwards. She had no reason to look towards the sky, for her vision could not see the battle between two sides. "Even if you kill me, there will be others to stop you."

"Strong words, from one that has fear radiating from her body. Yes, I know there will be others that will come after you, but that won't matter. I have other plans for those that are waiting in the darkness to try to stop me. Those that sneak up when they are most unwelcome. Wouldn't you agree, Master Jedi?"

Siddious forcibly pulled Amidala around to the right, both now coming face-to-face with two Jedi and a young Padawan. She had not heard them come up through the sand that billowed around them, nor had she seen them cross from the other side of the path that was between shops, cantinas, and mud houses that were all jumbled together. She didn't have to ask how they managed to be stealthy enough for her not to have seen nor heard them on their own path; they were Jedi. Their training was enough for them to sneak upon those that they wished to not know they were there. That was all she had and needed to know.

Her eyes met with Obi-Wan's gaze first, watching his face set into battle-mode as his gray-blue eyes lit as his hand grasped his already drawn lightsabre. His eyes were soft towards her, caring almost, like he was trying to comfort her without any words. The queen's eyes then fell upon the other Jedi that stood just a few feet away from where Obi-Wan stood. She smiled lightly, hardly recognizing him but was glad that he was there nonetheless. Then her eyes moved down upon the Padawan, Anakin, studying his face as he looked directly at Siddious. It was as though he did not notice that Amidala was there, as if she did not exist. His eyes were trained solely upon the person that was holding her as though she was a shield.

"We shall see who is the unwelcome one here," Obi-Wan whispered, his voice still loud enough for Siddious to hear. A cackle came from the lips that hid behind the hood, expressing what his face could not show. If the Jedi could see his face, they would have seen amusement playing in his eyes. Even without the satisfaction of knowing the true identity of their opponent, the Jedi and Padawan looked more then eager to join in their own fight.

"We shall, indeed." Siddious gestured with his head towards the air above them. Not event he seasoned Jedi could see what was going on above them; even if they could, they would take no notice of it. It wasn't their fight to begin with. "Although we can not truly feel the same energy as they can, there is a light sensation of power that radiates from the two closest ones to us. Can you not sense it? The tiny ripples through the Force?"

"If we could, we have no intentions of sharing that secret," Obi-Wan said simply. Siddious frowned, expecting more of an answer coming from a Jedi then a simple answer as that. _No matter. They are ready to do battle. I can sense the readiness flowing from them, especially the young one._ His eyes shifted upon the young Padawan, the Sith's grip upon the queen's arms tightening. the boy had set expression on his face, as if he could kill someone with that look alone. _There is a certain power in him, just from those eyes alone. Greater then I have felt in the Force before. He has the potential to become something greater then the Jedi could ever teach him._

"I do not need to use the Force to sense that you are ready for battle. Your faces tell me everything I need to know. However, I doubt you would want to strike now, with the queen right in front of me," Siddious said, his unseen gaze still upon the boy. Amidala made an almost unrecognizable face that the Jedi could not understand fully; even so, they knew that she did not like being a prisoner in a game she did not want to be in.

They saw two ways to get her out of this: by willingly admitting to themselves that they had to take a big risk and attack Siddious head-on with Amidala as his shield, thus either seriously hurting her or ultimately killing her. Or they could split up, with one going around Siddious without him noticing while the other two stayed in front of him and charge, as a diversion of some sort. Either way, thee was a risk that Siddious would kill the Naboo native without so much as a thought to her life, ending why they had come back to Tatooine in the first place. But, she wouldn't be killed easy, nor was Siddious one to be fooled by a simple trick. He was fluent with the Force as a Sith and any attempts to trick him would be nearly impossible to do.

"Contemplating on what to do? Pity that you can't seem to make up your minds," Siddious said, watching them sweat. That gave him satisfaction in knowing that the Jedi could not decide on what to do next. "So, what will it be? Will you risk her life or will you stay back and let me do it for you? Decide now."

To Be Continued

Author's Note: Yea, it's been a while since I last updated this. I just had a little trouble with it, that's all, plus some writer's block. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	30. Chapter 29

**Dark Angel**

**Standard Disclaimer:** I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the story all of it is in. Thank you.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Everything seemed to have stood in time, where nothing happened and no one moved. Even the wind seemed to have stopped blowing, the heat from the desert and the twin suns evaporating into nothingness. Where all walks of life, from the Jawas to the Hutts, seemed to have paused for that one moment in awe of what was shifting above the Tatooine desert township. There was not even a pause for breath, from the movements above to the ground below, everything seemed to be going at a slow pace in what once was a place where nothing stood still for no creature, big or small.

The surrounding area of the township looked deserted to those that would wander haplessly by, shocked to see that there was very little movement going on in a place that was normally packed with creatures of all kinds. In reality, there _were_ creatures there, but they were presumably safe in the confines of the mud-sand houses, taverns, and ports or were farther away from where one battle was already in the midst of being fought while another one had not even begun yet. They were scared, that much anyone could say to a population that rarely felt the emotion of fear; this was Tatooine after all, a planet covered in sand and where even the most wanted and hardened criminal could feel safe for the time being. Yet, through all the hardships and things they had seen, this was by far the worst they had seen since the Sith Wars centuries before.

Fear and safety weren't the things that were on the minds of those that fought and flew high above the township, as gusts of wind and lights danced alongside each other. They heard and saw nothing else but the ones that were in the air along side them, blow for blow being matched by someone just as strong, perhaps stronger, then they were. What went on below didn't matter to them, as the heat of Tatooine matched the heat of the energy blasts that flew past them.

Vegeta didn't feel the lasting heat of the twin suns, as he prepared himself for a direct blast from Frieza. His arms shot up to his chest, his head ducking underneath his hands that were balled into fists as the blast curved into a small arch and went straight for him; he didn't feel the pain as the energy hit him squarely on the arms. In fact, he was numb to everything and anything that came to him, even the stray secondary blast that came up behind him. He knew it was there, phasing out quickly before the baby-sized ball even came within inches of hitting his back. Not even a split-second later did Vegeta come back into view, several feet between his current position and where he had been before, his arms still in the same defensive position that they had been in only seconds before.

Lowering his arms to the point where he didn't have to fully raise his head, Vegeta stared coldly from behind his balled fists, straight at the hovering Icejin changeling that smirked right back at him. A frown creased his lower face, his eyes narrowed in blind fury and a hatred that went down even further then he knew it. Every cell in his body, even to the swirling energy that flowed around him, wasn't immune to the anger that was pulsing inside of him. _How_ dare _this bastard make a mockery of me,_ was the only sane thought in Vegeta's mind as his head came up fully and his arms down to his side.

"I didn't think there was a lot of fight left in you, Vegeta. I thought that the lack of battles would have tamed you," Frieza laughed. Had this been years ago, Vegeta would have automatically struck Frieza with a series of punches, balls of energy, and a few swift kicks, but that had been years ago though his anger was still at a point where he would have done that. Maybe his words _did_ have some truth to them, or perhaps he was just testing the waters of how far the Sayian would go and how long he would last.

"Maybe they did, but you've underestimated me. Years have passed since we last met, and I haven't lost the touch of training," Vegeta said, as he raised his head fully. "What have _you_ done to keep up with me?"

The effect of his words seemed to have worked upon Frieza, as flashes of movement came through the space that was between enemies. Vegeta stood where he was, intent on letting Frieza have one final blow upon him before he unleashed his true fury. That was his metal plan at least; if he calculated Frieza's moves correctly, then there little error in what he was going to do. The swishing of a tail flew up to his chest, mere seconds passing before his left hand reached up and grabbed the tail right before it hit him. There was a lapse of two seconds where he was pushed to the right from the force of the blow, a slip of his hand moving down the tail before he firmly planted his fingernails into the skin. That was all he needed to latch on firmly before smiling and twisting the tail forty-five degrees.

Frieza was in his grasp for the moment, eyes wide with more then just surprise; he had fully expected Vegeta to either move out of the way or to consort to using energy attacks, not latch onto his tail. There was another twist of bone, skin, and blood vessels, before a crack and a scream echoed. The Icejin then found himself being flung into the air at a high rate of speed, sending him flying up into the atmosphere before being pulled back right back down again, faster then he had been put up into the air. There was a flurry of punches that followed right after, onto his face and neck area so fast that he had no time to put up a decent defense.

The assault lasted fifty seconds at the least, before Vegeta grabbed Frieza by the horns and pulling them apart, all the while keeping an eye on how fast he was coming to the ground. He estimated that he had thirty-five seconds at the most to finish the first stage of his on-the-spot plan before both Sayian and changeling would hit the ground and hard. He gritted his teeth and pushed more power into his arms and hands, concentrating on pulling at least half of Frieza's horns off before getting himself up before he hit the ground. If it worked, he didn't know as he pulled and twisted the horns upon Frieza's head, creaking of the harden bone turning in odd angles.

It took half of the thirty-five seconds for Vegeta to give up on what he was doing, taking his hands off of the jutting horns and kicked Frieza in the face as he pushed himself up with his energy. As Frieza hit the ground with a thud, a plume of sand rose up to meet the Sayian as he hovered six feet off of the ground, arms crossed over his chest and ebony eyes staring ruthlessly down towards the ground. He couldn't tell how long Frieza was going to stay down where he was, but the time that it took for him to remain on the ground was time that Vegeta had to catch his breath and to formulate a secondary stage of planning.

"You are still there, Frieza. I know you are," Vegeta said in a monotone voice, his words spoken barely above a whisper. He didn't need to see nor sense where his foe was, there was a gut feeling that he was already standing up, glaring through the dust and sand at what had been someone that had been beneath him for years that he couldn't count. The past didn't matter to him now, just the mere fact that he was getting what he wanted for so long.

Once the dust and sand had cleared enough for anyone with sensitive enough eyes to see, the gut feeling that Vegeta had was correct. Frieza _was_ standing up, staring at him with a certain coldness in his eyes that would have made any normal being run away in fear. His tail was twisted in a degree that wasn't quite right, painfully clear that it had been broken in three or more places. Both of his horns were crooked, not a lot and hardly noticeable but still were not straight on his head as they had been no more then two and a half minutes before. He was standing there like nothing was wrong with him and yet his chest was moving up and down with each breath that he took, as though he had been fighting for hours on end and was broken down.

However, the expression on his face was utterly calm, like he was at ease with what was in front of him and not showing the true nature of what he was feeling. That was what scared Vegeta the most, the unnatural calmness that surrounded the Icejin and the basics of his stance. He stood there with his legs slightly bent at the knees, his head tilted up towards the Sayian and his right arm stretched behind him and the other crossed over his stomach. His legs were shoulder length apart, tail still where it was since it was now useless in battle. This gave the impression that he was thinking, waiting for the next move to happen and to see if he was going to win the fight.

Even so, Vegeta wasn't worried about what changes would occur. Frieza had gone into his other forms before, he had seen them happen move then a handful during his servitude under him. This time, it wouldn't happen, not if he had anything to do with it. The first stage Frieza was in, would remain the same stage he would die in again. That was what he was there to make sure of, that no one else would suffer the same fate that his own people had suffered though.

"Are you just going to hover there, or are you going to do something about me?" Frieza asked just as calmly as he was standing there. Vegeta smiled, closed his eyes for ten seconds, then opened them again.

"Oh, I am going to do something about you alright," Vegeta said softly. _More then you think I am going to do,_ he added to himself mentally. What he was going to do and how he was going to do it, was only known to him. There were no more words exchanged between the two, as he took in a deep breath and flew straight towards the Icejin like a bullet fired in a straight line. He only hoped he would make a mistake that would cost him more then just his life.

¤ --- ¤

"I think we've flown far enough away, don't you?" Goku asked, as soon as his body had come to a full halt in mid-air. They were now a good ten to fifteen miles from where they had left the raging battle, isolated from anyone else that couldn't get to them fast enough. While the others would be able to get to them in a minute or less, that was one more minute that he didn't have time to spend, fighting someone that couldn't be killed with mortal ways.

Garlic, Jr. stopped at the sound of Goku's voice, hovering where he had come to rest. For several minutes, he did not move, letting Goku believe that he would attack at any moment, then slowly turned his head around first before turning his entire body to face his opponent. There was a defiant look upon this creature's face, a look of pure hatred and disgust that Goku hadn't seen upon anyone's face before. Not even Gero's face had that same loathing upon it and he had been defeated by a mere boy back in the days of the Red Ribbon Army. No, there was nothing to describe the look upon his face that words alone could say about it; even Vegeta would be surprised by this look and he had more enemies then the entire group combined.

"You are scared to face someone who can not die, are you?" Garlic, Jr. asked in a low, calm voice, so unnatural compared to his deep, dark look that it placed a chill to Goku's stomach. That question, more so then the tone that he used, caught Goku off-guard; he, the first Super Sayian since anyone could remember, _scared_? Yes, he had been scared on many levels before, but not scared enough _not_ to fight someone. That was absurd in it's own right.

"Fear has nothing to do with this." An innocent, playful smile quickly masked the surprise on his face. "Are _you_ scared of facing _me_?"

Garlic, Jr. quickly dismissed his own question fired back at him with a wave of a hand. "Like you said, fear has nothing to do with this. I've been waiting for this for a long time, and I am not going to wait any longer."

"Then why did you leave the rest of them behind?" Goku gestured with his head back in the way that they had come in, more interested in getting the long-awaited battle done and over with then talking about it. "Why not stay back there?"

"Because, I want to fight you by myself and without your friends interfering." He smiled, bearing his teeth. "I had that happen once before, and I'll be damned if I am going to let it happen again. You are _mine_."

If Goku had thought Garlic, Jr. would have let him take the first shot, that was the first mistake that he made and not the last one. The second one came right after, when he held no guard against a blurb of movement that came towards his stomach in a fit of unconstrained rage. This rage hit him squarely in the stomach, at a force that knocked all the air out of his lungs and made him gasp for air. He hadn't know the creature of this size had become so fast in the short amount of time that had transpired since the last time the two had faced off together.

The surprise of being hit so quickly in the stomach wore off as he was pushed back several feet, the smaller creature moving away from him before pushing himself back towards him. The second time around, Goku was prepared for him and grabbed him by the neck as soon as he rushed forwards for his next attack. Garlic, Jr. didn't seemed too concerned that he was being held like this, a smirk and a hint of madness in his eyes indicated the state of mind he was in at the time. It was disturbing to see the insaneness that was in his eyes and that made Goku shudder.

"I don't know what you really want, but I have little interest in fighting you," Goku said. That was only part of the truth; he _was_ interested in fighting Garlic, Jr. but not in the way he intended. If he could wear him down enough, or knock him out, then that would give him time to put him in some sort of restraints and keep him that way until they got to the hole between this world and their own. If he could close the doorway between them, with the two of them inside of it, then that would be a greater accomplishment then he could ever do.

"That's a lie," Garlic, Jr. snickered, putting his hands on Goku's wrist. "You _want_ to fight me, but won't. You have every intentions of fighting me."

Goku didn't say anything, releasing his grip on Garlic, Jr.'s next and shaking the small hands off of his wrist. He moved back some, maybe half of a foot at the most, and looked down upon the creature as though he was seeing him for the first time. In all truthfulness, he couldn't remember what his foe could do and how he was going to fight him. It was impossible to kill something that was immortal and had no fear of going up against something that was five times stronger then he was. The only thing that scared him the most was, in fact, that inability to die. He wasn't worried about his own strength, just the uneasiness of not being able to kill him.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Either way, I have to end this now," Goku replied quietly.

"Then it's settled. If you won't come at me, then I'll come at you again, whether you are ready for me or not." Garlic, Jr. moved swiftly in the same direction he had gone in before, Goku staying where he was instead of trying to block the straight-forward attack. He knew that Garlic, Jr. wasn't stupid to try the same logic he had tried to do twice before in a span of a minute and a half, calculating the possible ways in which he would go. There was no exact way he was going to attack, just possibilities in which he _could._

In short, Goku was ready for whatever Garlic, Jr would unleash on him.

¤ --- ¤

He didn't know how long he had stood there, waiting for the right move and the right moment to strike, but Obi-Wan knew he had to act soon or the darkness standing in front of him would strike faster then he had seen before. With Siddious standing right before him, Amidala in his grasp and acting as a shield between Sith and Jedi, something had to be done. Already countless lives had been destroyed and disrupted by this dark being and he wasn't about to let him do it again. Whether or not Amidala would be including in this count, that remained unforeseen; if it had to be done, it had to be done. Causalities of war had been killed in front of him before: ambassadors, younglings, Jedi, and others that were on a long list of death seen by his eyes. If he could help it, the young Queen wouldn't be a part of it.

Obi-Wan caught Ki-Adi's eye for a split second, both Masters seemingly placing their plans together in that one moment in time. Both knew that Siddious couldn't very well hold onto Amidala for much longer, not when there were two Jedi bearing down on him at the same time. He would have to let her go or have her killed if he wanted to properly defend himself; either way suited the Sith, but the Jedi wanted to keep her alive as much as possible. If their plans worked, then all she would leave the battle with would be cuts and bruises, maybe a lost limb in the most severe case. With advancements in the medical field, any limbs lost could be replaced with light durasteel machines.

"I'm so sorry to do this, Your Majesty," Obi-Wan said in a calm, cool voice, as though nothing seemed to be amiss. Amidala gave him a hallowed look, her eyes going wide as the Jedi rotated the blade of his lightsabre and lunged towards her and Siddious. Her eyes closed at that moment, squeezing shut as she waited for death to speed it's way towards her. If that was going to be the last thing she saw, at least she found comfort in knowing that she was going to die at the hands of someone that she trusted even more then her own handmaidens and bodyguards.

Death, it seemed, didn't come, much to her surprise and she wondered of that death was as painless as it was sometimes described by those that had left the physical world behind. It was a moment before she realized that there was no lightsabres placed in her body and that time had stood still around her. She opened one eye to see what was going on, her head turning around as both eyes opened fully. Obi-Wan stood not even two inches away from where she was, one hand grasping the hilt of his lightsabre while the other hand had reached for her neck. What his idea of trying to save her was, she didn't know, yet somehow it made sense to him. How and why he was reaching for her neck, it didn't seem to matter as she felt a burning sensation in her right shoulder.

In that same frame of time, something hot had hit her in the shoulder, sharp pain flowing from the strike point. At first she thought it had been a lightsabre that had pierced her skin yet there was no pain from the blade exiting her skin as it would have when it retracted, no burning flesh that smelled of fresh blood. Even Obi-Wan seemed surprised at the unforeseen attack on her, his face set in momentary surprise before his hand finally reached out and took her by the neck in a feigned attempt to keep her pinned where she was. Between a Sith and a Jedi she stood, one holding onto her by the arms and the other holding onto her by the neck. She didn't know which was trying to keep her alive the longest, the Sith or the Jedi.

Siddious' grasp loosened slightly as though he had been hit by the very same unknown and unseen force that had shot through his captives shoulder, something that he had not seen nor sensed through the Force. Or the surprise of seeing a Jedi willingly spring forwards and grab an innocent being's neck gave him a startled reaction. Whatever the cause of the momentary lapse of his loosened grasp, it was more then enough time for Amidala to break her un-injured arm free and grasp the arm that Obi-Wan held to her throat in an attempt to hold onto something that could pull her away from at least one threat. She was in a tight spot, caught between a murderous Sith and a Jedi that held his focus on the person behind her.

"I don't know what you expected to do, but it had better be worth my life," She choked out, feeling Siddious' hand gripping her injured arm just as tightly as before. She winced, feeling the blood from her shoulder start to move from the wound upon it. Even with the stinging, it wasn't serious enough for her to seek out immediate help; as long as the stand-still between light and dark didn't take days, she would be fine.

"Indeed, Master Jedi," Siddious said, grinding his teeth together. "It seems like you have an ally somewhere out in the desert."

"And you need to be aware that there are two Jedi instead of one," Obi-Wan replied just as calm and collected as before, as though he had done this hundreds of times before. As to confirm his words, the blade of Ki-Adi's lightsabre sat only inches way from Siddious's back, waiting for the right moment to strike. "You have a choice between myself striking you first or Ki-Adi. Either way, you will have nothing to hide behind."

"The same logic can be said about the Queen. Her usefulness has..." Whatever words that were going to be said, died upon his lips. He didn't speak for a full moment, fully aware that the Jedi in front of him and the Jedi behind him could not only ruthlessly strike upon him, but also reveal his true identity. It wouldn't just be to the entire Outer Rim, but for the whole galaxy in itself to see; the HaloNet would show his face for months, maybe years, afterwards, ruining any future plans he had. Then he smiled. There were ways around things, ways that he could use for himself. "Are you _that_ concerned with this woman's well being? There are a few Neimoidians that would be more then happy to have her head as a mount in their office."

"Yes, I am," came the reply. That was the answer Siddious knew Obi-Wan would say; the ways of the Jedi were always predictable. He also knew that Obi-Wan had just enough experience with the slimy Neimoidian race that he didn't want, or need rather, to deal with them again, if the time ever came when Amidala would be more then happily transferred over to them.

"So be it, Jedi." As soon as those words had passed through Siddious' lips, he dropped Amidala's arm from his grasp. In that same frame of time, a long metal object seemed to have dropped from his right sleeve and into his hand just mere seconds after he had let go of the Queen fully. It didn't take but a few more seconds for Obi-Wan to drop his hand from Amidala's neck and push her out of in front of her. A sound of disgust came from her lips, just as the sound of a blade hissing to life rang out in the quiet street. "So the time has come, Jedi, to do battle. Are you prepared?"

"I have been for three years." That was all that was needed to be said between the two opposite sides of the spectrum, as Obi-Wan smiled slightly and took his first steps forwards. This was what he had been waiting for since he had seen Qui-Gon murdered in front of him, to finish off the Sith that changed everything.

**To Be Continued**

_Author's Note:_ Yes, it's been a long time since I've done anything with this story. In short, I didn't write anything because I don't remember which characters know which attacks. In theory, I am hoping that I can get away with writing as little energy attacks possible and do with mainly physical, hand-to-hand attacks. Perhaps I can, don't know. In theory, anyways. Plus, I'm not good with fighting chapters anyways. If anything is off, or Out-Of-Character, you can blame me all you want. Also, if anything seems like it's jumbled together, please tell me. I had deleted Microsoft Works by accident and just recently download OpenOffice and using it for the first time. If anything seems out of place, uploading wise, please tell me.

Hope everyone enjoyed this VERY, VERY late chapter. Hopefully, I'll get the rest out in a shorter time span then I did this one.


	31. Chapter 30

**Dark Angel**

_Standard Disclaimer:_ I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars Characters. I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the story all of this is in. That is all.

_Author's Note_: I am going to say this right now that I suck at writing fighting stuff. Plus I had wanted to write two deaths in this story but it got cut short due to lack of ideas how to do the second one, so I opted that for yet **another** chapter. Ah, well. At least it didn't take me a _year and a half_ to churn out this chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter Thirty**

Tien landed as quietly as he couple upon the mud rooftop of some forsaken house, his head turned upwards towards the sky and all three eyes trained someone else at some point in the distance. Looking as though he had lost something, he stood as tense as ever, keeping his body at a defensive stance all the while ready to go on the offensive. Blood had dried on his arms quite quickly from scraps and cuts that went into his arms, face, and hands; it did look like he had been in a scuffle and a bad one too, to any that had bothered to stick around the site. He didn't blame anyone for leaving, since what they were dealing with wasn't exactly common on this world or anywhere else in this realm.

Yamcha landed not far behind him, his head and eyes turned in the same direction as the other had his head and eyes upon. He didn't fair as well either, possibly even more so then his friend; there were cuts and dried blood on his arms and didn't seem to care. He, however, didn't seem as frantic as Tien was, although he was just as on edge as his friend was. Instead of standing in a way that would keep him ready to fight again, he held a more relax stance most likely to throw off any other fighter and show that he just didn't care. Perhaps he didn't or he was just ready to finish off whatever hellish creature was out there.

Their chest were moving up and down, breath scorching their throats, and eyes stinging from the rising heat that came from the sand below. If it hadn't been so hot, even without a second sun in the sky, they could have felt more energetic then they were; with Tatooine's twin suns baring down, it was as though they were being roasted alive. How anyone could live on a planet infested with nothing but desert and criminals all over escaped them completely. It went the same with anyone that was still watching them, how they could live in a world with people flying without a ship around them.

They had spent the last hour, if that short of a time frame, trying to keep up with Ginyu as best as they could without allowing more energy to flow through them. They had, after all, to save any reserves for anything else that came their way. That was harder to do, since they _had_ to tap into their energy resources just to keep up with them. Both were at a point where they would have had a very hard time keeping up with him alone, but together it was less of a daunting task and more of a do-able accomplishment. They just had to bide their time, and energy, long enough to wear him down to a point where they could do a decent counter attack without worrying what would happen to themselves.

"Where is he?" Yamcha asked quietly, not bothering to use his energy to sense another person's presence, not when Tien could easily do it with his own third eye. Tien didn't answer as quickly as he should have, his head moving down from the sky as he turned slightly to the right. There was a frown creasing his lips, an odd look upon his face that Yamcha had seen quite a few times when one was concentrating on something. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Tien muttered, looking at a Yamcha for a brief moment before he spun around in the direction he had been facing before. His left arm moved forwards quickly, his hand balling into a fist as it connected into a opposing stomach. Ginyu's face said more then what words alone could not say : he had not expected to be punched in the stomach as hard as he had been nor did he expect anyone to really know when he would come up behind them. The gasping face stayed like it was for several seconds before it turned into a grimace, as Tien took two steps back and lowered his arm to his side. "That's for underestimating us."

Ginyu regained control of himself and straighted up as best as he could without showing that he had, in fact, been hurt in any way. Yamcha silently wondered if they were the ones who were doing the underestimating, seeing as they were the only two that had never dealt with Frieza, Cold, or Ginyu before, outside the Jedi. From what little Goku had seemingly _remembered_ about fighting them, Frieza and Ginyu at least, he didn't know if small, underhanded attacks would work. With the way he had talked, it sounded like he hadn't started off small to begin with. That was Goku for them.

"We'll see who's doing the underestimating here," Ginyu said with a smirk. Tien only glanced behind him for a spilt second, Yamcha nodding at the unspoken words they had shared. They didn't have to say a word to each other, their actions would give the other the idea of what was going on and what would happen next, if that was possible at all. Whatever would happen, it would happen fast.

They weren't going to let Ginyu trap them in any of his tricks, both launching off the mud rooftop before Ginyu had even gotten his hands into position. They had heard enough from Goku and Vegeta on what to expect from him and what he could do in another's body; their best plan of action was to keep their distance and their speed up as fast as they could in order to stay as they were. Long range energy attacks would have to act as their smoke screen until either or both of them could get close enough to safely attack at that close range. If Ginyu didn't see through their plan first, that is.

"What if it isn't true?" Yamcha asked as soon as he and tien were at least twenty feet away from the rooftop and Ginyu, who had launched himself off the rooftop only seconds after the pair had.

"What Goku and Vegeta had said about this guy?" Tien asked, turning himself around and launching several energy blasts behind him. Yamcha nodded, hardly even giving his head a turn over his shoulder. "As much as I don't like Vegeta, he knows more about them then we do and Goku knows half as much as Vegeta does. Goku had a first-hand experience with him and that I trust. Besides, I'd go with what they say versus what we wouldn't have know if they weren't here."

Yamcha had to agree with that, no matter how outrageous everything seemed to be going. He shouldn't have been surprised, considering what his own world was like and the things he had found out since he had met Goku oh so many years ago. Had this been anyone else, anyone else other then Goku, he would have dismissed this as nothing sort of some fairytale. _I don't know how I managed to get caught up in all of this, but we've got to put the past behind us today,_ He thought to himself.

"Tien, I have an idea," He said suddenly as he moved out of the way as what looked like a beam of energy shot past him from behind. Tien glanced over at him, his hands moving together to form a familiar triangle shape. Yamcha stopped where he was, turning around to face the on-coming Ginyu; he didn't know exactly what he was going to do, yet anything was better then just wearing themselves down while hoping to do the same to their opponent.

"Yamcha, no," Tien said, stopping not far away from where the other had stopped. "Once I start this, I can't stop unless I only do it a few times or die from doing too many. Let me handle Ginyu and you go help Krillin."

"But..." Yamcha started to protest, not even getting the rest of the words out or they had been lost in the stream of triangular energy that burst through Tien's hands. He stopped cold where he was, having felt the heat from the attack and watched in half amazement, half horror as the energy swirled and hit Ginyu with a force that could possibly rival a small attack from Vegeta.

He turned his head away long enough to not see what would happen to Ginyu, having barely seen the look of surprise that had been on his face. There was a deathly silence, too quiet for someone that was in league with Frieza. He knew what Tien could do and hopefully that was the only time that he had to do it; even if it wasn't, there was only a few more times that it could be done before it really took effect on the user. Still, if Tien had to face Ginyu alone after his attacks had done their job...

"Just go," Tien said breathlessly, keeping his hands in the same position they had been in during the first wave. "He's not down yet, just enough. He's not like Cell, he _will_ stay down after the second one."

Yamcha nodded, silently cursing his friend for this and muttered a few good lucks to him before he flew off in the direction where Krillin was. If he could get there in time, at least one person would be saved from a worst fate then death.

¤ ¤

Not far from where Tien and Yamcha had been fighting Ginyu, but still a good few miles away, the same intention of keeping oneself alive to see a better day held itself at a pace considered too slow even for a human. It wasn't as though the two fighters didn't have the strength, wits, or stubbornness to keep going; they had all that and more it would seem to those that had never witnessed the fights that had taken place years before. It was because of the peace that had been there, and the years spent from fighting, that had boiled down the spirit for the fight. No longer was there a real need to keep in tune with any threats to their own planets, no longer a need to practice their fighting ways when there was no call for them, no longer a way of life that would be obsolete if they failed. They just didn't _need_.

Even so, Krillin still felt the desire to keep the bare minimum of practice under his sleeve in case there was another unforeseen attack on Earth. He did, unfortunately, have to rely on his more powerful friends to keep the planet alive even if that meant he didn't keep his own standards as high as Goku, Vegeta, or Gohan. Perhaps it was because he was weaker then they were, since they all could reach Super Saiyan status or higher. Or perhaps it was because of other reasons, whatever it was at least he still had the state of mind to keep his body in shape for whatever reasons he had.

Cold, however, had little need to keep his body as strong as it could be. His strength was, in fact, stronger then Frieza's and had been at the same level for a number of years now; had he known there were stronger forces out there that were stronger then his son, and had more time to get his body ready for this type of battle, then he would have taken that chance. He hadn't known that the Super Saiyan myth was actually real until he saw it with his own two eyes and would have gotten himself more physical had he not been killed shortly afterwards seeing what one of those Saiyans could do. That had been the worst of it, having a power that was supposedly weaker actually beat him. That was an embarrassment to him and the remaining fragments of his own family.

These two forces battled each other for what seemed like days compared to the time that was actually spent fighting each other. They weren't as graceful as their counterparts fighting elsewhere in the township, far from it actually, yet it was enough for them until their muscles wore themselves out. They fought with fists, punches, and small energy blasts, keeping it simple but to the point for the most part. It didn't rival the level in which Frieza and Vegeta were fighting, but it was something to at least gaze up at and be bewildered at what was going on.

Cold held the upper hand in this battle, with his sheer size, tail, and horns added into the fray. He smiled as an outstretched hand plowed into the pit of Krillin's stomach, causing him to double over in pain and cough up some blood. It wasn't the first injury the small human had in this fight, his arms already beginning their slow healing process over wounds that had been made during the course of the battle. There was a small hole in his clothing, on his just just an inch or so away from his heart. It didn't hit any vital areas, none that required him to quit fighting and seek shelter until the all clear was giving. No, he had a lot more fight in him then he let on, even with the lost blood and his vision becoming blurry.

Cold didn't come unscathed either. Bruises on his face was a sign that he had been punched numerous times there and his left side held a scorch mark where a few stray blasts of energy had gone off course. Had this been someone that didn't have a fighting sense about them, at the level they were going at, then they would have been maimed or killed with the types of fighting skills they both possessed. Both held enough passion to keep their cause alive to stay focused as best as they could.

However much fighting sense he had been taught on his home world during his younger years, Cold still held back his power even though he had been taught to use more power when faced with an opponent that wouldn't back down. Krillin was one such opponent, acting like he was hurt when the Icejin moved in to finish his attack, he was met head-on with a head butt. That gave Krillin a dizzy spell and a headache, but it made Cold stagger back slightly and feign a look that showed he had expected the attack when he honestly didn't. Truth be told, both were beginning to wind down, their strength beginning to fade. It was the beginning of the end of the fight and they knew it.

What they didn't know was that one of them would have a downfall to his death, one that would start the end of all the fighting and signal to their companions that their triumph was at hand. Cold desperately wanted his stake at winning, shaking off the head-butt and moving fast towards the very injured Krillin. The human didn't have enough time, or extra strength, to stop what Cold was doing, having just enough sense to lift his arms up in a defensive stance before he realized that he wasn't going for another frontal attack. Instead, Cold wrapped his tail around Krillin's waist without a struggle, pulling him close to him as soon as he could get his bearings in the air.

"What's the matter?" Cold snickered, his tail tightly squeezing Krillin around the middle. He looked up at the towering Icejin, his arms moving to the tail to try and get it off of him. At least, that was the feigning attempt to do so, enough to distract Cold from what he was about to do. "Can't keep up with me anymore, can you?"

Krillin remained silent at Cold's taunting, knowing full well that he was at a boiling point in the fight and couldn't loose his head now. He closed his eyes for a split second, enough to mentally calm himself to steady his hand. His left hand moved away from Cold's tail long enough to create a small disc in his hand, taking only a few seconds to let the energy flow through his arm and into his open palm. A short pause was all that was needed to open his eyes and thrust the disc downward, into the flesh of the tail and down towards the ground. It was a panic decision, a last resort to free himself instead of using the last resources of his much-needed energy struggling to get out of the grasp of the tail.

The disc had sliced into Cold's tail enough to expose muscle and some bone, Cold screeching in pain as his tail loosens enough for Krillin push it off of him without much energy being used to do so. There was a snicker from him as he flew away from the Icejin, the disc of energy long since plowed into the desert sand below. It would leave a mark on Tatooine's surface for a while at least, until more sand piled over it and made it look like nothing had happened. That was the way of the sand and the way of life for the desert planet.

"I don't have to keep up with you to beat you," Krillin said calmly, turning around to face Cold. "I just have to outsmart you."

Cold brought his tail close enough to his face, inspecting the damaged done by one disc. The gash was big enough to let tissue be exposed to the environment around them and to let sand from below to enter and infect the wound, but was small enough that it didn't let a massive amount of blood to ooze out. It was painful, red marks from the disc having burnt the edges of the wound and making it sensitive to the tough. He gritted his teeth together, narrowing his eyes and glared in the direction of Krillin. There were few that had actually harmed him in a way that caused him a great deal of pain and this was one of those times. There would be no survivors.

"Not if you are dead, you won't," He growled, his tail moving behind him as he flew towards Krillin even faster then before. He wasn't going to let a mere human take him down, not one that had almost all of his energy used up from fighting him.

This time, however, Krillin was ready for the attack and had expected Cold to be more then angry at having his tail cut like that. He took in a deep breath, raising his hand up and away from him enough to form another disc that swirled with intensity and energy. This was his one of his chances, if not the last one, to get rid of Cold altogether so that two universes could rest a bit easier. Even if he died trying to, his attempt wouldn't be in vein. It would be enough to wear him down to a point where Yamcha, Tien, or another could take him out in one swipe, finishing up what their friend had started. If he died, he hoped that the Dragon Balls could stretch beyond universes and revive him. If not, then at least he died defending them.

He wasn't scared of what his fate was, since he had seen so many battles before this one. There was no difference between what he had done before and what was going on now, as Cold came within a foot of reaching him. Krillin blinked his eyes, surprised at Cold's sudden stop in front of him; he had fully expected him to come crashing into his body. If this had been his intention, to make Krillin think that he was going to plow right into his body head-on, he was good at making the small human think otherwise. In fact, that _had_ been his intention, to do a full-body take-out but had been stopped short of doing so.

Krillin's surprise and confusion soon gave way to a devious smile, as he took in the full force of what was going on. Cold's face twisted itself into a expression of pain and utter anger, his hands balling into fists as he turns his upper torso around to see someone hovering behind him, a firm grip on his tail. Yamcha floated right where he was, one hand holding the end of his tail tightly and the other by the wound where the disc had hit. The top of his fingertips had dug into the wound, pulling some of the tissue and skin back far enough to give him a decent grip on his tail and to send shooting pain into Cold himself.

"Sorry," Yamcha said, smirking, "couldn't resist."

Cold let out a snarl, his upper lip curling up. "How _dare_..."

Cold's words failed at his lips, had been ignore altogether, or had just moved into a snarl as Yamcha suddenly let go of his tail. All that was given in response to the low growl was a wave and a flurry of movement as Yamcha flew downwards and out of range of an oncoming attack. At first, Cold assumed the human had disappeared entirely from his view and had fled the battle, leaving his friend behind and back in the midst of a one-on-one battle. In reality, he had been smart and gotten out of the way, all the while Cold stayed where he until a familiar sound reached his ears. One of energy being formed into a disc and that same disc spinning around and around again.

For the most part, energy didn't have a sound to it and was quiet, dangerous, and often on target -- all at the same time. Not many could put a sound to it, not unless they could hear the faint pulse to the energy, one that mimicked the sound of a beating heart about to die. But to Cold's ears, it sounded as though a hundred bees were swarming and moving towards him. Time seemed to have slowed down, or at least stopped to a point where he couldn't react in time. He turned his upper body around, his eyes wide and mouth still twisted in that same snarl -- his face did not have the opportunity to react to what was going on before it hit him.

The disc had hit just above Krillin's actual target of the lower chest and had gone at an forty-five degree angle instead of going straight across. The disc slowed down as it tore through muscle, bone, flesh, and blood vessels -- all the while Krillin turning his head away at the sight. He had seen blood and guts before, yet did not want to look into the lifeless eyes of the Icejin, eyes that looked as though they had suddenly come to terms with a second death. He knew Cold was dead and would stay that way for good this time; there would be no coming back after this, not if he could do anything about it.

Yamcha flew up to where Krillin floated in the air, watching as the disc of energy finished slicing through the body of a dead Cold and flew at the same angle it had gone it. It took a full minute for the disc to fizzle out, Krillin finally moving his head back to where Cold use to be, both friends watching the body pieces fall down to the ground. He didn't know what was going to happen to them, but if they could take them back, somehow, to their own home then they could make sure that this would never happen again. At least, not in their lifetime. He was just glad that one battle had been taken care of and several more were on their way to being completed.

"Where's Tien?" Krillin asked as he turned towards Yamcha.

Yamcha frowned, continually staring at Cold's body as it hits the sound below them. "He's still fighting Ginyu, last time I saw him." He took note of Krillin's expression, as soon as he managed to take his gaze off of the ground below. "What? He told me to go after you, to make sure you're alright."

"Sure," Krillin muttered, not looking happy at the fact that Tien was facing Ginyu alone. He could have easily taken Cold down without Yamcha's help and it would have been a tad bit harder had he not shown up at the best time. "Doesn't he know what Ginyu can do with a simple technique and another person's body?"

"He knows," Yamcha said, "But I seriously doubt he'd let Ginyu get _close_."

Krillin stared at Yamcha for several minutes, then looks down at the spot where Cold had gorged him with one of his horns. The intensity of the pain of it had long-since subsided down to a small ache and the blood flow had stemmed to just being dried. In reality, had this been ten years before he would have most likely been that person laying in two halves on the desert floor instead of Cold. He was tired of fighting, his body looking as though it had gone to hell and back several times, and the dizziness he had felt earlier had almost gone away. But, there was another friend in need, despite all of the injuries he had taken from this one battle alone. He had enough strength, however, to do _something_ at least.

"Come on," Krillin said quietly. "We have to help Tien out."

He had half expected Yamcha to chicken out, to mutter some kind of excuse as to why he could go back and face Ginyu again. That was what Krillin would have done: say something about forgetting something and leaving as fast as he could. However, as the two looked at each other, there was something different about them. Something that took the fate of two universes to make them realize. It didn't matter how strong they were, just as long as they could make a _difference_. They smiled, both glancing down at Cold's body one last time before Yamcha nodded and took the lead, flying quickly towards where Tien had been fighting.

One battle fought and one, four more to go.

**To Be Continued**


	32. Chapter 31

**Dark Angel**

_Standard Disclaimer:_ I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the story all of this is in. That is all.

_Author's Note:_ Happy New Years!

**Chapter 31**

The sounds of battle had not yet died down, the desert planet waiting and watching for the fate of two worlds to come at an end. These same battles seemed to go on forever, without an end and without a beginning. These battles would end eventually in a single universe, in a single time line, but would continue on in another time frame. Where they would continue to fight and who they would be fighting against had yet to been seen and would remain hidden in the stream of time for all eternity. That was the way battles and time went, colliding together in a infinite loop between good, evil, and a way of life.

And, still, there was a hope that this loop would be broken, even if that twinge of desperation had disappeared and the hope never came into realization. The only thing Amidala, Queen of Naboo and Keeper of Innocence, could do and hope was that her time to fight would draw near. She had removed herself from the fight between Jedi and Sith not long before the duel between the dark side and the light side had started. That was the only way to keep out of their way while they fought in a locked battle between two ideals; her chance to get out of the clutches of Siddious had come and she took it without hesitation.

From her vantage point behind a mud and sand hut, she could hear the blades of the Jedi and Sith clash together. They hadn't gotten far from the center of the landing port, maybe a half of a mile, give or take a few feet. That was still a half of a mile too far away for her to be comfortable at, even with ideas of how to sneak past the three without getting hurt again. Her shoulder still throbbed with pain but not as much as it had before. She raised a hand to her shoulder, muttering to herself how she would get back at whoever shot her as she placed her back against the sand-encrusted wall and turned her head around the edge of the hut. The fight had started without her losing any more blood then she already had; the blood that she had lost had stained her clothing and she would have to throw them out. Blood stains were hard to get out of the garments she wore; besides, they were old handmaiden clothing that she had been meaning to get rid of for several months now.

She could barely make out the figures that were dance to the tune of lightsaber blades, the hissing and sparks from the three beams echoing off of the sand below their boots. The Sith moved effortless between the two Jedi, who swirled and clashed together in unison and without hesitation; even with the heat of the two suns and the dry air of the desert, nether one seemed to look as though they cared they were fighting in a harsh climate. She had remembered hearing once that Jedi trained in worse climates then that of Tatooine, when they had to learn how to deal with different planets and the ways of those same planets. But that had only been a rumor and she was not about to ask any Jedi if it were true.

Amidala felt a twinge of remorse for not been able to go into the fight with them, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Considering she knew just enough about this Sith and even more about the dealings with his Nemodian counterparts, she would either have to wait this fight out or find a way to help out in some way. She didn't like to sit idle for to long when there was something that she could be doing to help, even if it was a small role that she could play. She had gotten in the spirit of defending the peace when the Trade Federation blockade had come down and she wasn't about to start sitting out on anything yet. It wasn't in her just to watch from the side and hope that everything would end in a way she wanted to go. No, she wasn't like that and she wasn't going to start.

She was about to start slithering around the wall when a hand reached out and clamped down upon her mouth. Eyes going wide, her scream became muffled in the palm of her attacker. Her first instinct was to twist and turn to get out of this prediction, her nails going into the mud and sand wall of the hut. She wasn't struggling out of fear of being attacked again so suddenly -- it was just a reflex that she had to keep herself from being captured again. Too many times she had been the pawn of someone and she wasn't about to let that happen again.

As her eyes turn towards her attack, her body stops moving and her shoulders sag, eyes going slack and head tilting to the side. The hand moved from her mouth as the Queen got herself together and frowned, crossing her arms loosely across her chest and held her tongue for just a moment. This wasn't out of humiliation to keep this quiet, but to keep a rising anger from boiling over and spilling onto the desert. Then again, she deserved this and anything else that came her way. After all, it had been _her_ who had run away in a chase of broken ideas.

"And where have you been?" Amidala demanded as soon as she content that she wouldn't let out any more anger then she would. The man standing before her reacted first by laughing, no matter how foolish it was to laugh at a queen in this kind of situation. Still, he looked more then relived that he had found her once again and was alive and well as she should be. His clothing was sand-worn, from the heat and the wind that whipped the sand from the ground. There were lines of worry that creased his face, a hint that he had not only looked as though he had been to hell and back again but probably had been in a literal sense.

"Looking for you, what else?" Panaka said as he puts his hand down by his side. He smiled at her, hardly looking at ease of being so close to battle and yet so far away from the a peaceful nature. His dark face doesn't reflect the smile that he has, as though he is forcing himself to smile at the queen's expense. "I nearly went to the Sand People to see if they had gotten to you. They have a habit of kidnapping people out in the desert, you know."

"I haven't been caught by the Sand People. I was captured by something else, though." Amidala waved a hand to silence him before he could ask her what she meant, although he had a good sense of knowing what had happened the last time they had seen each other. "Did you get in touch with anyone on Naboo? Does anyone know that I was missing?"

"No. That would have been my last resort, sending a transmission back to Naboo." The captain held a grimace on his face for a spilt second before he relaxed; from that expression, she figured he would have had some explaining to do if he had sent word he had lost the Queen of Naboo. And he would have had more then a few demotions in rank when he came back to the planet with or without the queen in tow. "What little resources would have been sent to find you, if I couldn't or any Jedi."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She gave him a hard look and, in exchange, Panaka gave her a _I'm sure you are_ look in response. "How did you know that I was here?"

That question was answered as soon as a young child came into view from around the other side of the mud hut, a knowing smile upon his lips. He looked like he had done something grande or found something worthwhile, a smug look that would have given him more then a verbal lashing from the Council. Just knowing that Anakin hadn't gone off somewhere on Tatooine was enough for her, although she wondered why he was there with them instead of fending off the Sith with the Jedi masters handling it by themselves.

"Because I found something more useful then 'being in the way of something I am too young to deal with'", Anakin said before Amidala even opened her mouth. She stared at him, amazed at what the boy had just said. It was startling what Jedi could do and say even before anything happened or had been said. But she was more surprised at what he _had_ said rather then _when _he had said it.

"Obi-Wan told you that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Anakin shook his head on that.

"No, but that's what he implies," The Padawan mumbled, a bitter sound to his voice as he stepped forwards and took the queen by the hand. "Come on. I'll show you, although I'm sure you already know what it is."

"Wait," Amidala sputtered out as Anakin pulled her in the direction away from the fighting Jedi. "We can't leave yet. There is the matter of..."

She didn't get to finish her sentence, Panaka coughing for her attention. She turned her head towards him as he patted the blaster pistol holstered at his side. "I had been aiming for _him_ but hit you instead. Very sorry about that, Your Highness."

"Nice shot," She said dryly, wiggling her hand free from Anakin and walking in step next to Panaka. "Anakin, what did you find?"

Anakin didn't answer her question, taking the option instead to ignore her and continue on. He hurries ahead of them as they followed as closely as possible they could to a Padawan. Although he was still quite young, he had grown in the way of the Force and had become stronger then the last time they had seen the boy. There were the physical changes, such as growing taller and looking less as the young boy they had seen three years ago, then there was the emotional changes. Amidala had seen that in him when he had been in the throne room of the Theed palace; he didn't seem too interested in what his master had been saying, rather focused on something else entirely. The tone in which he had used only moments before was startling; he had sounded impatient, something she had expected out of Obi-Wan rather then him.

They trailed behind him, past shops and a few creatures that were brave enough to come out of their hiding spots. These creatures had shrugged off any battles that were taking place, knowing that if they hadn't been killed yet by something else on Tattooist, then they were going to survive whatever forces had come to their current home planet. Neither these creatures nor the three that went past them paid any heed to each other, as Anakin took a turn to the left and headed almost in the same direction they had just come from. To them, it was as though they were going in a circle, retracing their steps and heading towards something that they did not want to be near.

In fact, they _had_ gone in a circle; not a complete one but as close to it as they could. Panaka and Amidala glanced at each other when Anakin raised a hand to stop them, as he moved towards the sound of what sounded like flies buzzing together. He then motioned them to follow him, moving towards the right and deeper into the space port. Amidala was the first to realize that the Padawan was going into the main landing house for this township, where she had been not long before. She was about to say something to him before Anakin stopped again, his head poking inside then beckoning them to follow once again.

Amidala sighed, both her and Panaka following him inside to where Anakin stood, his back to a large ship that sat before them and the ramp leading up into it already down. Both of them looked up at it, feeling dwarfed by something so large but important enough to be used for more the one purpose. Panaka looked surprised at this ship, walking forwards and placing a hand upon the hull and running the tips of his fingers over it. The queen wasn't the least bit troubled by it, instead frowning at it. Anakin stood looking smug, as though he had been the one to have built the ship himself and fly it across the entire run of the galaxy.

"We don't have time for this," Amidala said crossly. "If you haven't noticed, we are in a tight spot right now and..."

"No, listen," Anakin started, annoyance in his voice and the smug look disappearing off of his face. "I have a plan to use this to our advantage. I doubt the Sith will miss it, for a while at least."

"How exactly will this fit into the grand plan of things?" Panaka asked, gesturing up at the ship in question. Anakin didn't say anything, instead turned around and calmly walked into the ship. Panaka and Amidala gave each other a sideways glance, both knowing that despite the training to ignore the underlying questions to their own words, they had hit a nerve with the young boy. Still, it was a risky chance to climb aboard the Sith's ship, with him so close by even though he was tied up with two Jedi at the moment.

"What can we loose?" Amidala asked, giving a slightly shrug and following Anakin's path inside the ship. Panaka took in a deep breath and exhaled, closely following behind the queen. He knew he was going to regret some part of this later in his life.

¤ ¤

Life had always thrown them something odd their way countless times since the early days of their youth. They were used to it in a sense that this was normal for them to encounter creatures that were outside the realm of their own world, if that realm had always been small and confined. Others would see this as just plain weird, despite living among creatures of various shapes, sizes, and origins. But they knew little of the world that lived inside their own world, a world in which the odd existed and time itself had been disturbed more then once.

Had they not known each other or the events that had always seemed strange to outsiders, Krillin and Yamcha would have found it even more strange to be flying towards the feelings of battle. The hairs on the back of their necks stood up, their eyes scouring the ground beneath them as soon as their sixth sense started to go crazy with warning. It had only taken them a few minutes to fly from where Cold's body was torn in half to where Yamcha had left Tien, a horrible sinking feeling swirling in the pits of their stomachs. They had a bad feeling as to what might have happened, if Tien had let Ginyu get too close to him to do his own method of bringing down foes.

They circled the area where Yamcha had said he had left Tien to fend for himself before Krillin stopped flying. Going around half way before doubling back, Yamcha glanced down at the ground on a oversized street between junk shops where Krillin was pointing. His eyes scan the ground for a moment before he spotted a body laying face-down on the ground, motionless and quiet. They didn't need to say anything to each other to know that they wished silently to Kami that it wasn't Tien laying there but Ginyu himself. The only way for them to find out was to check, even if it was a trap set by the enemy himself.

It was Krillin who took the first surge of courage he had since fighting Cold and flew downwards slowly at first then gained speed as he neared the ground. Yamcha was not too far behind him, keeping a good distance between himself and Krillin should the body arise and decide it was high time to fight them. They landed onto the sand without much word to each other, inching forward with every intention of jumping back into the air without hesitation should the need arise. Krillin wasn't in a position to fight much longer and Yamcha could only do so much in close combat..

Their tension was quickly eased when they saw the familiar body of Ginyu in it's final resting spot, his armor cracked and beyond any decent repair. His head was in a pool of blood from which there didn't seem to be any openings near the head itself for the blood to come out of; if there was, it had long since dried up, was too small to see, or the blood had been there before his head hit the ground. His legs were at an odd angle to look properly straight, a sign that he had fallen first on his legs to break his fall from a good distance above the shifting sand. If either one of them could see under his skin, they would have seen the leg bones had actually twisted on themselves and broke under the strain of hitting such a hard surface at a distance away. Ginyu's arms were at his sides and in a position that looked like he had tried to push himself up from the ground but failed due to pain or was so close to death that he couldn't muster up the strength to get himself off of the ground properly.

_That's not a good sign,_ was the first thought on Krillin's mind when he saw the way Ginyu's body lay. He had known Tien for a number of years but this was the first time he had really seen something this horrible come from his friend. Had this been someone that Vegeta had fought, he would have expected something like this to have happened but not from Tien. Not from a person that did not seem to been able to do something like this. Then again, he had witnessed many of Tien's own battles and quite possibly this was the result of pent-up rage that had been forming for any length of time.

Just as they let out a sigh of relief, the feeling that something was out there hit them like a ton of bricks. Through the sounds of the sand and wind, they heard the faint footsteps hitting upon hard sand coming from behind them. They turned around to see the form of Tien limping towards them, a small smile on his lips and a satisfied look on his face. He looked exhausted when he stopped a few feet away from his friends, like he had been to hell and back several times and had lived to tell the tale. There were no physical problems other then the lack of strength, since it seemed like he hadn't let Ginyu come close enough to do any damage to his body. Then again, if Ginyu _had_ gotten within range, he wouldn't have wanted to harm the body he was about to possess.

"I told you I could handle Ginyu by myself," Tien said with a half hearted smile. Both Yamcha and Krillin eyed him warily, their faces showing their mistrust of that statement and their bodies reflected the defensive nature that they had.

"How do we know if you are the real Tien or not?" Yamcha asked, being the first to actually voice his concern. Krillin just remained quiet and watched Tien raise an eyebrow and cross his arms over his chest as best as he could. There was something about him that seemed different, the way that he held himself, but then again he had seen what Tien's own attacks could do to him. He saw the way he held himself on the ground, the facial expression he had, and had listened to the sound of his voice. _Tien's_ voice. When Ginyu had taken over Bulma's body, it had been clear that it had been Ginyu then. Even with the few words that Tien had spoken, he could tell Tien was still Tien. Ginyu hadn't managed to do anything to him other then wear their friend out, despite Yamcha's suspicions.

"It's him," Krillin said without hesitation. Yamcha turned towards Krillin, looking more then just surprised.

"How can you tell?" He asked, keeping one eye focused on Tien. Tien looked offended that he was being questioned on the basis if the was the real person they hoped he was, yet knew that anyone that had even the slightest hint of what Ginyu had been capable of would be just as suspicious as he was.

"He's acting like Tien would be after he had done fighting," Krillin started to explain. "I can tell by the way he walked towards us and the way he is standing out. Only Tien would do that."

"How do you know if Ginyu didn't pry that out of him when he switched?" Yamcha pressed. "Besides, I don't hear Tien complaining that he's the real one."

"Because even if he _did_," Krillin said hastily, "it would take a lot of convincing and time to get it right."

Yamcha frowned, looking between one then the other, before turning back towards Tien fully. He was looking more tired then before, as though he had not slept in days and was ready to collapse onto the sand beneath him. What other attacks he had done to Ginyu's body that had made it look like it had been hit by a stampede of animals, he didn't know but that was not what he was going find out. Krillin's judgement was usually solid when it came to trusting people he knew the most and, if he was right on this, that judgement was better then anyone else's that either one of them knew.

"Just to make sure, how many androids did we face and how long ago was it?" Yamcha asked. It wasn't a trick question and and Tien could easily answer that question, if he hadn't been forced to switch bodies.

"Six, if you include Gero himself, and it was three years ago." Tien then nodded towards Krillin. "And he married one of them."

"I told you so." Krillin said with an embarrassed laugh. Yamcha scratched his head, at last satisfied that this man standing in front of him had survived to tell the tale for another day.

"I guess so." He glanced behind them at Ginyu's mangled body. "How many did it take for him to finally stay down and what the hell did you do to him?"

"Two of them, one more then I wanted to use but not like what I had to use for Cell. But even _that_ hadn't done much," He said faintly, following his friend's gaze. "That had stopped him for the most part, but what happened to him after he went down is just a good of a guess as mine."

Krillin gave Tien a puzzled look as though he didn't understand what had happened. Yamcha had popped out of no where moments before Cold had been killed and Krillin assumed it hadn't taken him long to reach where he had been. There was no indication as to what Tien had done to Ginyu, since there were no scorch marks nor holes to his attacks. If Tien had defeated Ginyu at another point, then there were still several brave souls out there that knew good from bad and had helped them defeat and kill one of them. If the people of Tatooine knew the difference, that is.

"There isn't much I can tell you. I didn't do that to him, that's for sure," Tien added, pointing towards the left. "Last time I had seen him, he was a half of a mile away. He doesn't look like he was moved but rather fell in this spot after I got him. I went looking for him since I didn't see him where he had gone down for what I thought was the last time then I found the two of you standing here. I figured the two of you found him before I did."

"That's strange, but plausible," Yamcha said, his voice shaking with doubt. Not that he didn't believe what Tien was saying, it was just odd that they had some unnamed allies in the war against the Sith and his cohorts. "Then again, it may be just that he managed to get himself away while Tien was regrouping."

Tien didn't respond to Yamcha, instead he looked down at the ground and muttered something to himself. The rising anger he felt wasn't worth him lashing out at a friend of his; instead,he resorted to holding it back for the time being and saving it for when he actually _needed_ to unleash it on someone more deserving then Yamcha. His friend somehow knew, and felt, that anger coming from him and didn't add to the already stinging accusations that he had said and did a few mumblings of his own. When Tien raised his three eyes up, they meet Yamcha's gaze and blinked at him. Then he smiled, accepting the quiet apology that his eyes said louder then any words that could have been spoken.

The three friends looked at each other, their own battles fought and own quite easily. There was still much more to do then to stand around, but there were two forces that they would rather not face: Frieza and Garlic, Jr. Vegeta could very well handle Frieza on his own terms and had put his point across quite well enough for them to leave him to his own battle. It would take them a while to Goku, since they couldn't pin-point exactly where he was and didn't want to waste their energy looking for him. They had a feeling they would only be in the way and had little clue as to how they would defeat a creature that could not die by their own hands.

They only nodded to each other in a silent agreement, that their only way of helping was to find the Jedi and the Queen, to see if they could be any help to them. That was their best bet and only way of keeping themselves out of more danger then they would be if they were to interfere with any other battles.

¤ ¤

It was a familiar sound to them, the clashing of blades and the breathing of the fight, an experience that changed with each turn of the lightsabre. Sand kicked up wildly as they moved effortlessly through the motions, parrying, dodging, weaving their way across the ground as though they were performers. This was their final show, one that no audience had come to see yet had been prepared for since the last meeting between Jedi and Sith. This was the way they wanted it to be without any eyes trained on them and less ways of hurting innocent lives.

There were three sides to this fight, three that fought for their own reasons and theirs alone. It was a simple matter of watching their every move, staring at the faces and seeing the whirlwind of emotions upon their features, and looking into the minds of those that fought with every fiber in their body. It was, however, complicated at the same time, a wonderment in which amazed those who were no so in tune with the Force. The grace in which they fought, the ability to move with skill, and the way of battle had been given to them through training, hard work, and the sacrifices that they made. Still, to those with less observant eyes, what made them fight so?

They fought like there this was their last battle of their lives, their lightsabres clashing together in a wave of sand and dirt. They knew what they were fighting for and would not hesitate to find one weakness in the defense of the other one. It was hard to keep up with their offense and defense, something that would take several minutes to do if there was a break within the fighting. Instead, there was not a moment where they could rest their weary bodies for even a moment to reflect on what they were doing and why they couldn't penetrate the defense of those that they were fighting. They were nearing it's end and soon would collapse under the strain of their fight.

Siddious knew he would be the first to go down if he didn't find a way to keep the two Jedi at bay long enough for him to either run a safe distance away and escape or kill them both at the same time. He kicked enough sand up with his boots and a slight movement with the Force, forcing that sand up into Obi-Wan's face. The Jedi managed to block the initial cluster of sand that came up to his head but it wasn't enough to keep all of the tiny pieces of sand from reaching his eyes. He gasped out at the stinging sensation, as Siddious rushed past him and swirled his lightsabre in a half circle. He wasn't going to fight Obi-Wan, but rather take a charge towards Ki-Adi who had rushed to Obi-Wan's aid.

Sith and Jedi clashed together in a stream of parries and thrusts, the two lightsabres moving together in a exchange of power. It appeared that Siddious was being pushed back by the much younger Ki-Adi, who smiled briefly at his opponents deterioration of strength. That burst of ego was the first small sign of weakness that Siddious had been looking for, as he pumped the essence of the Force into his arms and legs, giving him a momentary burst of energy to push Ki-Adi back. The Jedi didn't loose that smile of his, still keeping his face neutral despite the surprise he was feeling. That angered Siddious even more then it did at the sight of the two Jedi not faltering in strength, as he let out a low growl.

Oni-Wan rubbed the last of the sand out of his eyes, shaking his head as he lowered his arm down to his side. His eyes were red and bloodshot, looking as though he had not slept in several days. It took him several minutes to focus his eyesight on the two fighting, a frown creasing his face. He could see both Jedi and Sith using the Force to make the sand do their bidding, not only as a shield against the other but as an offense to tear down that shield. If he had not been a Jedi or had not seen a fight such as this, he would have thought it was a sight to been seen and would have stared in awe at such a fight. As such, he wasn't as he calmly joined the battle once again.

Siddious sense the presence of the second Jedi returning to the battle, breaking the battle between him and Ki-Adi off at the last possible moment. It wasn't Ki-Adi he was more worried about but Obi-Wan; he knew what this Jedi could do to him and how easily it was for him to fight one-on-one with someone of greater strength and ability. He was beginning to lose the strength he once had at the start of the battle and was more annoyed then tired. He was ready to end this fight and that was the only thing that he could sympathize with the Jedi. Other then the fleeting pause of pity he held towards them, he was more then willing to kill them both.

Obi-Wan felt the burning desire to avenge the master he had lost, someone who he regarded as more then a master and mentor. As he blocked the shaft of light that was Siddious's lightsabre, he stared into the shadow of th face he could not see. How desperately he wanted to drive his own lightsabre into this thing's heart; that would give him a great satisfaction of doing a great justice towards a cruelty that did not deserve to live. If he did just so, the past he had held on to would be forgotten at last.

"I can feel the anger flowing through you," Siddious whispered to him before he turned his body halfway around and raised his lightsabre up to block Ki-Adi's advance. The two locked horns together, a laugh escaping Siddious's lips.

"What anger?" Obi-Wan asked innocently enough. Truth be told, he _was_ allowing himself to be angered by the bitter memories of his past, but not to a point like he had been with Maul. Not yet, at least.

Siddious spun back around as he withdrew his lightsabre, trusting out his free hand, palm side out. The Force swirled silently in his open palm, just enough to push Ki-Adi back five feet and lower his offense so he wouldn't be an immediate threat to the Sith. At the same time, Siddious brought his lightsabre back up to his own defense, just in time to counter Obi-Wan's charging rush as he brought down his own lightsabre to meet the Sith's. It was a clash between the two sides, as Siddious let out another cold-hearted laugh.

"What anger, indeed." He had to smile with that laugh of his, even with his cloak half hiding his face. "The Jedi say that anger is a way to the Dark Side, the start of a path away from their own ideals. I say it is your own blind arrogance that is a cause to lose your own path."

"Spoken like a Sith," Ki-Adi muttered, regaining his footing upon the sand. Siddious didn't bother to turn his head around to acknowledge the other Jedi. Instead, he stared Obi-Wan down intently. Obi-Wan felt his body freeze up, his eyes looking directly into the void where there should have been an upper face. Why couldn't he move his body? Why wouldn't his lightsabre budge?

Obi-Wan blinked his eyes, the only reflex he seemed to have control over as he felt his arms dropping to his sides and his body backing up unwillingly. His lightsabre dropped out of his hand, his knees buckling from underneath his body. He felt no pain, no sheer force of anything that was causing him to lose total control of his body. Was he dying from some wound that he couldn't feel? Or was there some other reason for him not being able to control this body of his? Whatever the reason for the lack of control, he found himself meeting the sand beneath him and his eyes blinked for the last time.

Then everything went dark.

**To Be Continued**


	33. Chapter 32

**Dark Angel**

_Standard Disclaimer:_ I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the story all of this is in. That is all.

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

The essence of a mind lies within the range of sanity, of which all walks of life have a different view of. What is normal for one species or person is not the same for another, what is called sane is not always the same to another being. There are limits as to what the mind can hold in it's infinite structure of memory, knowledge, and ability to understand what is going on around it as it gathers information from the senses that allow it to absorb this same information. And, yet, there comes a point in a single being's history that causes this fragile state to break, to shatter in a thousand pieces from which it can never go back to the way it once was. Whatever causes the mind to break, to falter even for a moment's time, that single cause will always remain in the stream of life and serve as a reminder of a past in which could never be regained.

And this stream had long since been twisted, turned, and molded in the depths of nothing for one being in particular as he fought hard to exact a revenge of which was years in the making. His small body rammed into the larger body of his opponent, forcing the larger body back towards the shifting deserts of the planet. Goku felt the air go from his lungs as Garlic, Jr. pushed himself away and laughed. Goku took a gulp of hot air, compressing the urge to show that he was not even the slightest bit hurt or even phased by such an attack. This wasn't a hard fight to win, considering that Garlic, Jr. was no where near the star in which he called his home and allowed him to feed off of it's energy. That was what gave Goku the upper edge in this fight, regardless of who was mortal and who was immortal.

They had gone across the outer edges of the township, moving closer and closer to the open desert then Goku would have liked to been. That didn't seem to bother Garlic, Jr. the slightest, considering he believed that he was winning this fight and was giving Goku more then his fair share of what he believed the Saiyan needed to be brought upon himself. The look of revenge danced in his eyes, right next to the look of power that held true in his shining eyes. He looked up into the smaller creatures eyes as he doubled over in fake pain, keeping his face scrunched up in mock agony. This gave Garlic, Jr. a taste of sheer bliss, a cackling laugh and an even wilder look.

That was what was scaring Goku, even more so then the fact that he couldn't _kill_ him. Garlic, Jr. made his next move, flying closer to Goku and putting both of his hands up as he stopped right in front of the Saiyan. That was when he got more then an idea's worth of what was wrong with him, a surprise which surfaced on his face and made a good ploy as to what the other was actually doing. There was an underlying cause to what Garlic, Jr. was actually thinking that kept him from being less then cautious; that same track of thought that was affecting his ability to fight rationally and the tone of revenge that went along with it.

He didn't move for a moment, letting himself hover where he was before he did a half witted attempt to fire several blasts of energy towards Garlic, Jr. None of them were powerful enough to hit anything and he wasn't really looking at where he was firing them at; Goku didn't care, so long as his ploy of waiting until the last possible moment to finish this fight and keep it that way. If he could give him the satisfaction that he could push the Saiyan around long enough for the crack in his stability to finally go into a big enough tear, then he could at least get him to a point where there would be no more fight left in him.

He smiled like he was already the victor of the fight, gathering energy into the palms of his open hands and turned that energy into a forceful and rather powerful push, one that even out did the kind of Force pushes Jedi used. At that close range in which they were at, Goku saw the wild look in eyes and kept that surprised look on his face, even when he allowed himself to be pushed back by the very same push that Garlic, Jr. used. He could have easily blocked it instead of allowing himself to be pushed back and falter in keeping himself high above the ground, yet he chose to continue this charade until he actually _did_ start to fall towards the ground. Goku righted himself before he got very far and decided it was time to get more serious then he was. After all, the fate of two universes was at stake.

"Is that the best you can do?" Garlic, Jr. wondered out loud, a sneer forming on his face. Goku looked up at him from where he was hovering, taking in a series of short, quick breaths. He hadn't used even one-fourth of his energy, so his _best_ hadn't even scratched the surface just yet. He wouldn't even need that one-fourth of reserve energy, not if he could help it.

"You haven't seen my best," Goku whispered loud enough for the other to hear, taking in the last of the series of breaths. He wasn't really weak as he appeared to be from this battle, far from it; he had been in fights that lasted a lot longer then this one was and with stronger opponents as well. He was more then ready to end this fight, trouble was that he didn't know how to defeat him without wearing him down. _I'll have to do the best I can,_ he thought, fully away that he was the only fighter around capable of handling this. He had been in worse situations before, just not with those that could not die by natural and unnatural ways.

"We'll see about that," Garlic, Jr snarled. If there was one thing that he hated more then Goku, it was the sheer defiance of someone who was on their last stand and had a cocky attitude. Unfortunately for him, both Goku and that same defiance stared up at him with a innocence that hadn't died out, even with all the battles he had seen.

The rage that had been building up inside of him had finally reached it's boiling point, as he bared his teeth and flew downward towards Goku. He didn't know how exactly he was going to kill the Saiyan, just that he was going to do it and do it now. The rage blinded him, forced his senses to halt any remaining sensibility he had left, and gave his mind the last push it needed to move into the realm of instability. As he rocketed towards Goku with what he thought was a good idea, all of Garlic, Jr's reasoning and mental ability shut down and gave into the rage he allowed to build up for so long. It was the moment of truth that Goku saw and the thing that gave him a better edge in this fight.

A second before the two were about to collide, Goku smiled and felt a surge of wind rush past him as he swiftly moved his body away and out of the second flying body's line of sight. To those that couldn't see what had actually happened, they assumed that Goku had been hit and would feel the full blown wraith of Garlic, Jr. However, it took him and any watching by foolish by-standers, if there were any, several minutes to realize that there was nothing in front of him to hit. There was no body, no Goku, no nothing but the hot, dry air that rose up from the ground. Garlic, Jr. stumbled, any coherent thought he had blocked itself from his mind when the found no traces of Goku anywhere. He turned around to find where his opponent had gone off to, two low growls forcing their way out from deep within his throat.

Instead of seeing Goku, a large blast of energy came towards him and a faint cry of "Kamehameha" was barely heard over the roar of the blast. He had little time to react to it, barley able to dodge the wave of energy that came towards him. While he managed to dodge of the impact of the attack head-on, the underlaying force of it caused him to flip several times in the air. It took the better part of two minutes for him to regain any minor stability that he had, glowering in the fact that he had been bested once again. However, his recovery time was two minutes too long, as he was about to find out.

Just as Garlic, Jr regained himself to a point where he could have fought back, a punch hit itself in the middle of his stomach. His eyes went wide and he gasped for air, as Goku slammed another fist into his stomach, this time harder and with more force behind it. This happened over and over again, punch after punch landed on his stomach and upper body without fail. Blood was coughed up, splattering onto the front of Goku's _gi_; he took little notice to this and the blood coming from the corner of Garlic, Jr.'s mouth as he continuously punched harder and harder. This allowed little room for error, since he didn't know what Garlic, Jr, would do considering how his mind was working at this time.

Goku wasn't at the same point as the other was, no where near it. He had little reason to allow his own anger to push himself to the brink of madness and beyond, if Garlic, Jr. was past that point. He had to wear him down to a point where he wouldn't be even the slightest threat to himself or anyone else on the planet. He was at that point already with sanity, now Goku had to worry about the immortality aspect and what he could do with the little bit of control he had left. His strength wasn't an issue that he would worry about any time soon, since the home Garlic, Jr. had was no where near them and he could do anything about it.

One last punch drew on all the strength he was willing to use, Goku bringing back his fist and hitting him on the chest, just enough to render him useless. This last punch sent him spiraling down towards the ground in a fit of pain, darkness, and unwillingness to continue on. He didn't even try to slow himself down for the descent to the sand below, crashing back-first into the grains of sand and dirt that were waiting to meet him., A plum of dust rose up from the ground where he had fallen and spread across the mud and sand houses that had watched the fight. If there were any alive beings that had seen this display of power, they were now long since gone and joined anybody that was smart enough to get out of the township long before anything had happened.

There was no movement below that he could see,Goku hovering above the area where Garlic, Jr. had fallen. Had this been a normal mortal fiend, the punches alone would have killed them instantly and the plummet down to the ground would have ensured that death had occurred. However, this wasn't any normal foe he had just put out of commission but someone who had been classified as dangerous as Frieza was. Maybe not as strong as the Icejin was, but combined with the instability that Goku had just seen and the immortality clause, he was up there.

"It is done," Goku said to himself. He would eventually get the body below and take it back to where the Jedi were, where the last part of their journey would come to a close at last.

¤ ¤

In the places where the crowds had gathered to mutter about the strange appearances of lights in the skies and the battles between Jedi and Sith, there were talks of the end of the Outer Rim as they knew it. The hints of war had started when the Trade Federation had been forced back out of the Naboo system, or so the claim was by some. They were hardly even acknowledge by those who knew better and had seen much worse while living in the Outer Rim since they had been living under the Hutts for quite a number of years. _It is just the Jedi trying to keep _their _peace,_ was what they said and moved on with their daily routines. Still, they looked in the direction of where the last ball of light had lit up the sky, gulping down what fears they had before they went back to the peaceful lives they had, as peaceful as they could get on Tatooine.

At the edge of one crowd that stood at the edge of the township, there was a single body that hadn't moved since it had arrived only ten minutes before. It was a short person, most likely less then five foot in height, and was human by the looks of the body underneath the cloak. A tanned hand held the cloak closed by it's chest, covering it's head so that not even it's mouth could be seen from the darkness of the shadows of the hood. The brown and gray clothing was that of a farmer, or at least appeared to be; it was not worn by the sand or the twin suns but rather looked like the stranger had worn the garments for the first time. There was a pair of black eyes that stared out into the wasteland that was the township, hardly even noticing that there were people milling about, asking questions to total strangers. It didn't care, since there were things on it's mind other then the people around it.

The stranger stared out in the direction in which it had come from, perhaps crossing paths with those that doing battle several miles away. The creature had, in fact, seen a battle between two opponents but had quite considerably had been won already without it's interference. Had this been in it's own home, far away where even the highest Gods could still see what it had done, there was nothing the creature could have done. Here though, it was out of the prying eyes of any deity that could even see what had happened to the poor, unfortunate soul that was so close to death. It had gone to an extreme to put that creature out of his misery, something that it had only regretted for a passing moment in the sands of time.

"The portal will be closed as soon as his battle is over, sir," A voice whispered into where it's ear supposedly was. The stranger cocked it's head to the side, a hidden smile coming onto it's lips as it watched the events that were taking place. "Should we...?"

"No, we've done enough for now. Time was misplaced once before because of this occurrence in universes, and I had hoped that it wouldn't have happened again," The voice underneath the hood said, as it turned to face it's companion. It had to look up at the tall being, whose features it could not make out because of the glare of the twin suns. However, it didn't need to really look at this beings face to know what it looked like. "Lets go. We'll see them again, in seven years."

The two stood there for a moment longer, before they turned towards the crowd and started to make their way towards the boundary between desert and township. They would see this group again, in seven years when everything would be as it should. As long as the past wasn't repeated again, then nothing would stand in their way of choosing how their destiny went. As long as nothing went wrong, again.

¤ ¤

Where three battles had been fought, perhaps not all won with what some would call a victory, there were still two that were waging on like nothing else in the two universes mattered. They both went on as though there _was_ nothing but themselves and their opponents, hardships in their pasts fought, won, and lost as the years passed and trials came to a close. This was the way of their lives, finding something to grasp onto then having to let it go when all else around them had turned to dust. Memories had to be forgotten, inner battles erased and new ones emerging, and their paths crossing that of others just like them. That was just the way that they were, unending forms of warrior pride.

In the grand scope of things, Vegeta found it hard to concentrate on the form that was Frieza as they two of them clashed together in a hail of ice, fire, and pure energy. The Saiyan and Icejin met at the edge of the sandy dunes of Tatooine, like they were already in their own little hell. Sand, dirt, smoke, and energy rose up from where they had come together, the screams of battle emitting from inside the swirling mass that was two of the most powerful fighters in both universes. If anyone was really watching what the two bitter enemies were doing, and had not known that the two powerhouses had collided, those watchful eyes would have assumed that there had been an attack from above the upper most atmosphere of the planet. It had happened to other planets in similar fashions and few had lived to tell the tale of what had actually happened.

Once the sand and dust had cleared, the forms of Saiyan and Icejin could be seen, hands locked together and eyes glaring down at the other with such force that the same looks the two were giving each other would have, quite literally, killed a much, much weaker being. The fireball of energy that had shot up from between the two of them had created a rather large crater in which they stood in the middle of, their own energy twisting and turning with the others. A golden aura lapped around Vegeta, smooth and unending as his own energy felt like it was as it coursed through his body; Frieza's was more of an icy, dull color and was like a rapid of water going up against the shore of a distant planet.

"Well, well. Maybe there is more in you then I thought there was," Frieza said softly, a smile forcing itself upon his lips. He was in more pain then he let on, the force of Vegeta slamming his arms into the Icejin's own had caused fractures to move along his upper arms and one of his shoulders was dislocated. Vegeta himself hadn't come off easy either, but was in a lot better conditioning then his counterpart was; he knew that he had given his muscles quite a jolt and most likely had torn something in his arms.

"I will kill you even if I have to die to do it," Vegeta whispered, the hate of the being in front of him running through him. It felt like stabs of pain that came from the torn muscles in his arms, holding on the bone by bare strings of energy that were already starting to heal his wounds. He could feel himself becoming more dizzy and less able to concentrate on his surrounds, yet something in him kept him from passing out entirely.

Frieza frowned at him deeply, attempting to raise his tail up in the same anger that had already spilled over. The muscles and bones in the tail didn't cooperate, spasms moving up and down the length of the tail that felt more dislocated then it did broken. Vegeta smiled at this, squeezing Frieza's hands within his own and forced the tips of his fingers into the very tops of the others; blood came out of the skin-deep wounds and trickled down the Icejin's wrists. Frieza gritted his teeth together from shouting out in the pain that came from his hands and tail, a grimace forming on his face. There in his eyes was a wild look, like he was on the verge of murder. The same eyes that darted back and forth just as wildly, as though he was looking for a particular thing or person that was watching them from a distance.

"There is no one to help you," Vegeta said tauntingly. "You are alone."

That was the last Frieza could take, gathering the sand beneath him into one of his feet, his toes shifting in the sand until he was satisfied enough that he could do some harm to the Saiyan. He then lifted his leg up and opened his foot, slinging the sand from his opened toes into Vegeta's face. Sand hit Vegeta's face entirely from chin to forehead, particles of the sand moving into his open eyes and irritating them to a point where he had to shut them tightly as his eyes watered to get out the sand. Letting go of Frieza's hands to rub the sand out of his eyes, he turned away from the Icejin and lowered his defense. The light that had surrounded Vegeta only seconds before vanished like it had never been there, a darkness hovering around him where there once had been a fire. Frieza's ice played on the Icejin's face, illuminating the smile that only deepened the evil that reigned on his face.

He didn't find a way to escape like the judgement of his mind wanted him to, instead he stayed where he was and moved the tip of his tail on the ground. It beat soundlessly on the sand, a small shock wave of pain moving into his lower back. He ignored it as though it was nothing, his legs bending at the knees, his body crouching into a low position, and his head bowed down so his chin rested only inches away from the top of his chest. The back of the Saiyan was turned towards him, his vital spots exposed to his enemy, and the last moments of his life being used to get sand out of his eyes. Frieza wanted to remember this as the moment he brought down one of his greatest challenges and would tell his offspring the tale of how it was taken down by simple grains of sand.

Vegeta didn't move from his position, feeling the energy rise behind him and the sound of feet running towards him. He had a forty-five and a half second window between the time the sand had gotten into his eyes and when Frieza got into position to get the sand out of his eyes. It wasn't much time to do so and not all of the sand was completely out of his eyes, yet it was enough to see properly, if he could at all. There wasn't a weakness that he had, just allowing himself to fall onto the sight that he _was_ disabled for good and could be brought down by the sand that was beneath is boots. Instead of falling prey to it, he used this to his advantage.

In all haste of the charge, Frieza didn't see Vegeta lower his arms, turn around, and start to move one arm to punch him directly in the stomach. It was at the last second when he raised his head and saw Vegeta move did he step to one side, the forceful punch landing on his left side instead of his stomach. It still hit him regardless of where it had actually landed, Vegeta looking surprised that he hadn't caused a direct blow but he had half expected the blow to hit it's intentional spot. He turns around as Frieza side-steps him, grabbing the left horn of his foe and yanking hard on it. He had tried that before with little success but the last try had, in fact, given him the push he needed to get this just right.

It took whatever strength Vegeta had in his arms to pull the horn out of Frieza's skull, but with the energy he pushed into his already torn muscles he hardly felt as though it was an impossible feet. He stumbled forwards with the horn in his hands, Frieza's screams ringing in his ears from behind him. He regained his stance as Frieza's hands go up to the gaping wound on the left side of his head, blood running out in gushes from where there once had been a horn. It connected into the small rivers of blood that had come from the tops of his hands, a massive amount of blood coming from his head.

Vegeta laughed to himself, grasping the horn tightly in his hands as he took the few steps that was between the two of them, stepping over the useless tail and turned the horn around so that the point faced Frieza himself. It took only a matter of five seconds for Vegeta to stab the horn through Frieza's back and into his heart, the last attack in a battle that had waged on for countless years. There was a momentary pause in the Icejin's breath, a gasp coming from his lips as he tried to breath through the pain and the only lung that was still working. It was to no avail, his heart already perced and no longer bringing the much needed oxygen to his system.

Vegeta moved his lips to one side of Frieza's head. "I told you I'd kill you."

Frieza lets out one last gasp as the horn is pushed deeper into his chest, the tip of it pushing out onto the other side of his chest. Vegeta let go of it and stepped backwards, to burn this moment into his mind forever. Frieza moved his hands to the point that stood out at the front of his chest, his head bowing down to it as he looked at what happened to him. Death was as silent as it could ever be with Frieza, his hands and arms dropping to his side and tail going as limp as it had been. His lifeless body stood where it was for thirty seconds before the muscles in his legs gave out, bent together, and allowed the body it had supported to finally fall down to the ground. The swirling aura of ice faded when the body met the ground, the last of the Icejin's power dying like it's master had done before it.

No movement came from the body that laid there face first in the sand, Vegeta walking over to the lifelessness that had once been his most challenging opponent. Kicking the body over onto it's back, he stared down at the face that looked so calm in death when it had been twisted by the darkness that had overcome him despite the light coming from the ice that he had consumed. He sighed in relief, sitting down on the sand next to Frieza and stared at the body in front of him. A single tear rolled down his cheek, not out of sadness or anger over this death nor over the chapter that ended in his life, but for the accomplishment that he _had_ completed it. He hadn't been the first to kill Frieza and he would be damned if he was going to be last; there was no need for the Icejin to be resurrected again, not after this. This was the end, the last battle he had to face so that his past could finally be closed and forgotten.

"So I have," Vegeta whispered to himself, closing his eyes and bowing his head. His own personal war was over and the war for two universes drew to a close.

**To Be Continued**

_Author's Note:_ hangs her head in shame I am very sorry for how the ending of this chapter turned out. To be honest, I had no clue as how to finish the Frieza--Vegeta fight and this was what came to my mind. I outlined this part several times and this is what I came out with. If anyone wants me to re-write it, I shall.


	34. Chapter 33

**Dark Angel**

_Standard Disclaimer:_ I do not own Star Wars or any of the Star Wars characters. I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the Dragon Ball Z characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the story all of this is in. That is all.

_Authors Note:_ I apologize for this chapter being _more_ then a bit late. I won't go into any details except for the fact that everyone in my family that's within a hundred miles has a nasty habit of knowing _exactly_ when I start writing because I could only get out a sentence or two out at a time every other day -- still have that problem today. And, yes, I have all messenger services turned **off.**

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

_It was dark and cold in the void, a place where his mind and soul had wandered to in his unconscious state. Everything around him was gone, the wind and sand of the desert planet, the heat that came from the twin suns, the twists and turns of the battle that had taken place only moments before. Or, at least he thought the battle between the two sides of the Force had been only moments in passing, yet in reality it was longer then that. His mind had yet to register the differences in the flows of time in the reality that was outside this void and the world that was inside of it._

_Inside that infinite void, there was nothing there but himself and a faint light, an orb that circled around in the path of a hoop just above his head. He floated among the voices and screeches that came from within the darkness itself, with low mutters in languages he could not understand and constant flapping of wings from creatures that he couldn't see but weren't really there. He was alone, save for that orb of light that bobbled up and down and just out of his reach. If he could reach it, his body paralyzed by a force that held him there in that one spot. Every muscle in his body held him down in that spot, in a place he didn't know existed and wanted out as soon as possible._

"_I see great fear in you, child," A voice said from inside the orb, a voice that sounded with age, wisdom, and familiarity. He was staring at it, that much he could do on his own and watched it move towards him from the loops that it had been doing over his head. "I see you have not changed since the last time I saw you."_

"_Who are you?" He heard himself say. "What do you want?"_

"_I am someone that you once knew. What I want is not your concern." If the voice had a face to it, there would have been regret all over it and it's features would have sagged in the apparent sadness. "That is not important right now. What is, is that you need to release your anger or this void will continue to consume you."_

"_What anger?" He answered plainly, almost growling at the thing. He was surprised to hear those words echo throughout the void, like the orb and himself were in a cavern of some sorts._

"_The same anger that you used just now. The anger that will be passed down to your apprentice, if it hasn't done so already." The orb bobbled down twice, as though to mock him. "The boy has his own feelings to deal with, not yours as well."_

"_I know that! I can control anger, it's just that..." He stopped short, not wishing to discuss what had happened to him in the years prior to this moment. In fact, the memories of what he had done, who had been killed beside him, and the events surrounding his life seem to flash along the void for all to see. The orb twirled around in these images, stopping and pausing at the ones that it seemed to have the most interest in._

"_Your mind is a grand thing, child. I'd hate to see it move down the path that even those that walk in the light of the dark are afraid of." The orb stopped moving long enough to turn around and stare at him, if the thing had a front and back to it. "Everything has a purpose in life, even death."_

_He wanted to grab the orb and fling it across the void, to see how far the thing would go before it hit something or it managed to stop itself by it's own accord. And still his body would not move by his own will, remaining just as paralyzed as it had been before. He floated there, transfixed on this orb of light and watched it move up to his face, as though it was gazing into his eyes. It was fascinating on how it made him feel light as a feather, the orb, but still have the weight of an entire planet upon his shoulders. The words of the orb seemed to penetrate the weight of the void, making the pressure of any unseen weight just a bit less tight upon his body._

"_The void is a part of you, it's the path that even those that dance in the darkness do not wander down. They _know _what it leads to and that's why they fear it." The orb shook where it floated at. "Those that dwell in the light know of it's existence and fear it as well, but not as those that are tainted with the darkness."_

_The words didn't sink into him when the orb had spoken to him, the questions he wanted to ask all swirling in his mind and words that were left unspoken. He wanted the orb to explain itself and what it was saying, all of which was more then confusing to him. Instead of letting himself speak, his mouth froze up and vocal cords silenced, as though he had suddenly lost the ability to speak. The orb moved away from his face and fell back into the void that surrounded them,moving silently in the darkness. It turned several shades of yellow, red, and orange, the sades of a distant sun, then split into two orbs that rotated together and moved in sync with the other. They continued to mix the oranges, reds, and yellows together, moving faster and faster together before they stopped altogether._

_The brightness from the orbs was enough to blind him so much that his eyes squeezed shut tightly and his head moved to one side. There was a dull pain at the back of his head, like something had smashed up against it and his body rolling over onto what seemed like his back. He laid in a position that was similar to laying down somewhere, his body tingling and jolting with energy that came from somewhere he couldn't see. The void started to spin wildly as it slowly turned into lighter shades of gray, then into all kinds of whites and brightness. In the mists of the lighting, he heard a voice that boomed within his mind, his ears ringing with the sound of the familiar voice. One that brought him out of the void and back into reality..._

"About time you woke up," A familiar voice snapped as Obi-Wan opened his eyes, a confused look on his face. Vegeta stood a foot away from him, his eyes staring down at him and a expressionless face watching. The light shining down from the twins suns was fading, an indication that he had been out longer then he originally thought, his mind slowly coming out of the haze it had been in. He still felt the presence of the void within him but that feeling was fading away as he brought himself back into reality and away from the state that had created the void. He hadn't even been aware that he _was_ awake due to him blacking out from the battle yet Vegeta seemed to know that he was awake even before his eyes opened wildly.

It would take a few minutes more for him to push himself into a sitting position that he was comfortable with and looked up to see two beings staring at him, both looking worried, tired, and at least somewhat happy that one of their own hadn't become a body to add to the dead. That much he could get from both Vegeta and Ki-Adi's faces, both of whom he was more then glad to see alive and well. How long Vegeta had been there, he didn't know and he safely assumed the battle between him and Frieza had gone without the Saiyan loosing any limbs or massive amounts of blood. Ki-Adi looked just as well, if not better, despite going up against a Sith Lord alone.

Vegeta's body held signs that he had been in a battle and won, which took another several moments for the Jedi to process correctly in his mind or at least be able to work through the haze it was still in. It took another thirty seconds for the feeling of the Force to come over him, bringing him information of what else was going on around him and throughout his body; it was funny how the Force worked and had delayed the information sent to him. If only those not so sensitive to the Force could feel and see what Jedi could.

He felt a stabbing soreness at the back of his head and cold despite the hot Tatooine heat that surrounded them; whatever had knocked him out cold had done more to his body then that. There was no where to exactly pin-point the throbbing pain but if he could this certain paint felt like it started at the base of his neck and worked around to his ears and then up to the top of his skull. The coldness was from feeling that void he had been in before he had been jarred awake by a familiar face; had it been someone he did not know, Obi-Wan would have done more then just sit up slowly.

Vegeta looked worn and tired, his body showing more then what his face showed; his arms were red and looked longer then the last time he had seen the Saiyan. They weren't broke, that much he could tell from the Force that returned to his body and the senses that overflowed him. No, his muscles were weaker and took the appearance that they were sagging, an illusion on Obi-Wan's eyes no doubt but he wasn't standing as ridged as he had before. There were no visible wounds that he could see that required immediate attention and Vegeta wasn't in much pain that warranted medical nor did it seem like he would die from the wounds that were visible. That didn't mean that he was showing any signs of internal injuries, just that if he had any they weren't bothering him at the present time.

The area around him was deserted, except for Vegeta and Ki-Adi, who was sitting down not far from where Obi-Wan had been laying in his unconscious state. He couldn't tell the exact amount of time that had lapsed between him falling into a world of darkness and him coming back to the world of the living, yet it couldn't have been more then twenty minutes since there was no other's around him to give the exact details of what had happened during their battles. Although with the senses through the Force and the way that Ki-Adi and Vegeta were at in their present conditions, he could very well assume that they had won his round of battles. There was, however, the slight tingling that something else was wrong sent needles all over his body.

Ki-Adi looked better off then Vegeta and Obi-Wan did combined, his eyes watching the other Jedi intently and Obi-Wan could tell that he was trying to assess the stability of his companion. That is, if he was ready to be doing long range attempts at finishing what they had started or if they were going to have to wait to see if there was any side effects to his blacking out. Other then a few scraps that would heal within days and his lightsabre slightly damaged from sand and the Sith, there was nothing wrong with Ki-Adi; in fact, if Obi-Wan hadn't been focused on trying to get his thoughts back in order, he would have seen an irritation on his face that seemed to be growing.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked, ignoring the look that Vegeta was giving him and the way he was opening and closing his mouth. The Saiyan wanted to say something, but Obi-Wan did not want to listen to it at the present moment. First he had to figure out what went on between Jedi and Sith before he heard what went on elsewhere on the planet. "And where did you come from?"

"I came from where Frieza's body is currently buried and found him wiping sand off of his face," Vegeta said, nodding towards the other Jedi before Ki-Adi could even open his mouth to speak. "If you're worried about some stupid creature wanting to dig it up for whatever reason it has, don't worry. They won't get much out of his body, since a good portion of it is too charred to do anything about. After I stuck one of his own horns through his body, I used some of my energy to make sure he was really dead and burned."

Vegeta had said that all with an eerily calmness about him, his eyes looking into the general direction of where he had presumably _buried_ Frieza's body. Obi-Wan had no doubt that Vegeta killed the creature by his own hands, that much he saw in truth on his face without having to use the Force to detect decit; whether or not he buried it was another question entirely. If the Saiyan _had_, it would be dug up eventually by wandering nomadic creatures that were looking for it's next meal. If it wasn't, then it would be hauled off somewhere to finish rotting in another place and time without worry. Neither Jedi seem to be worried about what others would do to a dead body they knew nothing about since the inhabitants of Tatooine were sometimes known to ignore the bodies of the dead except in times a great bounty was at stake. However Frieza was just another wandering unknown to this universe and would be left to rot wherever his body would be left at.

"It looks like we have a friend somewhere out there or at least someone that wanted the Sith to get away." Ki-Adi stood up from where he had been sitting, dusting off the sand from his robes. He stole a quick glance towards Vegeta to make sure that he had said all that he wanted to at the moment before returning back to Obi-Wan. "He got away."

"That's just great," Obi-Wan grumbled to himself, a sour look appearing on his face for a moment before that look disappeared. "We don't have the time to waste sitting here while we still have a chance."

He moved his body into a position where he was comfortable standing up, ignoring the look that Ki-Adi had on his face and the shifting movements of Vegeta. His mind shifted for a moment, a faint dizzy spell washing over him before it faded just as quickly as it had come onto him. It wasn't so much as a dizzy spell as it was his body telling him to stay put until his balance could shift back into it's right position; he ignored that warning sign, his legs standing himself up for no more then ten seconds before he fell back onto his backside in almost the same position he had been sitting in. That caused him the most embarrassment, his face glowing slightly. To think that a Jedi could not stand on his own feet was something he didn't want anyone, not even a fellow Jedi, to see or even cross their minds.

He had expected Vegeta to laugh at him or give him a callous remark about his lack of balance, but heard nothing come from the Saiyan. Instead, Vegeta walked over to him and stood there for a moment without moving before he grabbed the Jedi underneath one of his arms and pulled him into a standing position. He held him where he was, his eyes narrowing and a frown creasing his face as though he wanted to snarl but his face wouldn't let him do so. The expression that was now on his face sent a chill down Obi-Wan's back; it was an expression of calmness, like middle of a storm that had yet to finish passing over.

"We aren't in a position to go after the Sith at this time," Ki-Adi said, the irritation that had been on his face seeping into his voice. "We both want to go after him, but there is no telling what he could do if he got away again. The main focus is getting the portal closed before anything else happens. And this wasn't your fault. Neither one of us expected to have anything from the outside help in the Smith's escape."

"If he got away, what makes you so sure he didn't go through the portal himself?" Obi-Wan asked as he pulled his arm out of Vegeta's grasp. There had been a momentary glance between the two of them, a way of showing and accepting thanks between the two without the use of words. "He does have a ship close by and not many would be able to stop anything from leaving the port."

"There was no indication that he left Tatooine just yet, I can still sense him on the planet. He _knows_ that we're near his ship and would just as easily overwhelm him," Ki-Adi said with a quick nod. "However given his lack of interest in fighting several minutes after you had blacked out, I say he doesn't want anything to do with Jedi at this moment. I say something out there scared him to a point where he didn't want to be _near_ us. I can barely sense that something out there now, but it's too far away to determine _what_ it is."

"I'll go after him, then," Vegeta offered quickly. Ki-Adi looked at him, not exactly surprised at the offer but weary none the less.

"No, no one is going after him. It could be a trap after all and at least the three of us are not in any shape to go through another prolonged battle," He said matter-of-factly. "We don't who is out on the planet that could be helping him or could be helping us. "

"Exactly what happened here?" Obi-Wan pressed, taking a wobbly step forwards and before any more protests could be made. His body was stable enough for him to stand alone, Vegeta moving slightly like he was on the ready should Obi-Wan fall down again. The look that the two shared because of that motion was not a look of pure distrust but more along the lines of _do it and die_ types of looks. Obi-Wan's eyes turned back to Ki-Adi, who was fighting down a sigh. "The last thing I remember is my body freezing up and then blacking out."

Ki-Adi didn't respond right away, his eyes looking around the area around them for a moment. He was quiet like that for a reason, like he was trying to come up with an answer as to what had happened after Obi-Wan had fallen in the midst of battle. There was no indication that he was trying to hide something from a fellow Jedi -- none the least as far as Obi-Wan could tell by the look on his face and through the Force -- but perhaps he was trying to best put it to words without giving a long explanation as to what had happened. From just these few senses and movements gave him a better piece of mind not to assume anything else was wrong.

"I can't explain it fully, but it looked like the Sith had used the Force in a way that hasn't been seen before or even a known tactic used by any Jedi or Force-sensitive being." He paused for a moment then continued. "It _appeared_ that he had used the Force to bind you to where you were so that you wouldn't be able to move at all. Then you fell, like he had used the Force to knock you out."

"Not enough to kill me?" Obi-Wan asked, a doubtful look on his face. "Wouldn't he have had to keep himself trained on me and not worry about you?"

"That's what I had thought at first, then he had turned to me and paused there for about a minute after you had fallen. I could tell he was surprised at that, not by way of his face but by his moments and the way he resumed attacking me." Ki-Adi took another pause, putting a hand upon his lightsabre. "He was nervous in his forms and so was I, since there was no telling what would happen to either one of us if there should be something else that came out from no where. Before I could take full advantage of the situation, the Sith used the Force to kick the sand up and shield himself from any more advancements and blinded me enough for his escape. Where he went and how far he is, I can't tell you since his last attack left me vulnerable enough to let him go undetected long enough to be far away from anything that would bring him harm."

"Why didn't he kill you instead of escaping?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning. His mind thought back to what he knew of Sith and some of them were quite the escape artists when they wanted to be, even if they were to have to put their plans on hold if their lives were in danger.

"If he were to kill one, maybe two, Jedi not only would he have the Council looking into it but also the Republic." There was no irritation in his voice during this explanation, not even the slightest of emotion. "That's the last thing he wants, to have Jedi and Republic soldiers breathing down his back. At the present time he knows that the Jedi is somewhat aware of his plans and has reason enough to go after him."

There was no movement from Obi-Wan not even to scrunch up his face and shake nor nod his head in acknowledgement. He understood completely what Ki-Adi had implied and it gave him more the reason to hunt down this Sith; he had already killed one of Siddious' apprentice's and it was unknown if he had already gotten another in the short span since Maul's death. If there was a new apprentice then it would only serve as a new barrier between exacting something for the hand that had guided a death that shouldn't have happened. In the eyes of Jedi he wouldn't be exacting revenge, just a sweet justice.

"Then it had to be...?" Obi-Wan started to respond before a sound of something moving down from the air caught his attention. His body tensed up, in part because his lightsabre still was in it's resting place on the ground and partly because there was no telling what else would come after them at this moment. There was a thud behind him and sand along their legs as though something human-sized had landed behind them and the cloud of dust and sand was from it's landing.

His first instinct was to turn around and use the Force to protect himself, but that instinct soon gave away as he turned around quickly to see who was standing there and what they wanted. Instead of finding an unknown enemy, Obi-Wan found Goku standing there, a smile on his lips and a small body slung over his shoulder that was presumably dead or close to that point as it could possibly be. All three looked relieved that it was a familiar face that stood there instead of an unknown that they would have to face down and battle again in their state.

"Had to be what?" Goku asked innocently enough, unaware that something was amiss.

"And where in the hell have _you_ been?" Vegeta demanded, glaring towards Goku. He didn't respond in the way of words, his demeanor losing it's innocent touch as his smile faded to a slight movement of lips that barely resembled a smile. Dropping Garlic, Jr.'s body down in front of his feet was all that was needed to explain what he had been doing, Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi glancing at each other and sharing a frown between themselves. This was the second valid source that gave them something to see so that they knew that a past they knew little of was gone for good.

Vegeta was the first to move towards the still body of Garlic, Jr, who was laying face up towards the sky and eyes closed, looking as though he was just asleep. That was true in a sense, considering the magical properties that kept him alive rather then dead; had the Sith taken him from an earlier point, he would _have_ been dead in the way in which he had been tossed around by the second Saiyan. Hookup's smile faded entirely and then turned into a frown when Vegeta reached the creature, slightly kicking Garlic, Jr. with the toe of his boot. Ki-Adi was the first to get into a defensive state, Obi-Wan raising an eyebrow as he shakily walked next to Vegeta and stood there, towering over the body.

"He's still alive, very much so," Obi-Wan observed, looking at Goku who was still staring down at the ground around Garlic, Jr.'s body. "Alive but not able to do anything."

"And he very well will be for a long time." Goku slowly rose his eyes up and met gaze of the Jedi for the first time since they had split into their respected groups and fought their own battles. "We can't kill him, he's immortal."

"Are you still going to go with your plan to close the portal up?" Ki-Adi asked softly. "There are other ways."

"Yes," He said solemnly. "It's the only way."

"I'm _not_ going to be the one to tell your damned wife that you got yourself killed again." Vegeta stared hard and long at him, then grunted something under his breath. Goku smiled as best as he could in the current situation, rubbing the back of his head and tried his best to look the part of the innocent child once again. If anyone else had not known him, even the slightest, they _would_ have seen that innocence come out. However, he wasn't in the company of total strangers and they knew that he was putting on an act.

"Well, it's the only way to make sure that he doesn't get away this time and besides – someone needs to be there to make sure the portal is closed securely." Goku then took that moment to look around, counting the person's still standing verses the ones that weren't there. He could sense remotely that there were others still alive and he didn't need to worry about those beings, yet something else was missing that he couldn't put his finger on. "What happened here?"

Obi-Wan, Vegeta, and Ki-Adi took this moment to look at each other, all of them sighing and shaking their heads. Only one of them could give Goku a decent explanation of what had transpired from the moment he had taken off to follow Garlic, Jr to the moment that he had landed down next to them. Two pairs of eyes went towards Ki-Adi, who sighed a second time and inwardly expressed to himself that he didn't like to repeat what he had said once before.

"I'll explain," He said slowly, taking in a deep breath and starting to go over what he had told Vegeta and Obi-Wan only moments before. Obi-Wan tuned Ki-Adi's voice out of his mind and began to take a better look at the surrounding buildings, sand, and other structures. He didn't expect any townsfolk to be peering out of mud buildings and homes for the remainder of the day and into the night if they were lucky, or even longer; if they didn't have to come across anyone that was going to be asking questions then that would speed up their retreat. The battles had scared them more than the thread of Hutt's did and it drained him more then he had expected; he would be glad to put this behind him regardless of how it ended.

Moving away from the three, Obi-Wan traced the path most likely taken by Siddious and made mental notes of remaining footprints in the sand. Most were old ones that had been from earlier and were of no use to them, others were too long gone to be traced to any one person or other such being. He looked up at one of the few ways out of the immediate area, his eyes scanning the distance, or as far as he could see. The Force prickled at the back of his mind, telling him something -- or someone -- was nearby but was not a threat to them. At the base of his shoulders he could feel the same weaves of the flowing Force that told him someone -- or someones -- were coming towards them with speed and wouldn't be there long. It was one of the few times that he could be certain that he _knew_ not to get defensive when he should be.

But he wouldn't wait for them to come find them as a disturbing thought crossed his mind, one that he mentally slapped himself for before muttering a few words underneath his breath. It was loud enough for Ki-Adi to stop speaking and stare at his fellow Jedi; that prompted Vegeta and Goku to look at him as well but with rather wondering looks. Neither one of them seemed to have heard what he had said and were just looking at him because Ki-Adi had. Obi-Wan turned half-way around and his eyes moved along the walls and sand like he was trying to look for something that would suddenly pop out of mud and sand. He had a deep gut feeling that he _knew_ where his Padawan had gone off to and the queen wouldn't be too far behind.

"Where's Anakin?" He had to ask that question in case this distinct feeling was wrong and he needed to go on the words of others. When his gaze fell upon the three, Vegeta didn't respond, Goku just shrugged, and Ki-Adi smiled faintly. "Don't answer, I have a faint idea. The queen should be with him as well."

Obi-Wan wasn't going to wait for the other three to come find them and, along with the other feelings he had, knew that they _would_ find them before long. Turning around, he started to walk towards an archway that lead towards the port and the much larger ships, leaving behind the others to gather up their wits or wait for the three that were still behind. Vegeta just shrugged at some unspoken question while Goku looked down at the unmoving body in the sand; they still found this all to be a bit odd in a sense but their lives weren't far from odd either. This small adventure was something that they could add to their journey's that have happened already.

And they didn't have to wait for their comrades to find them after long. Not even forty seconds after Obi-Wan had started for the port -- and he was going slow as he could -- Krillin was the first one to land beside where Vegeta, Goku, and Ki-Adi were standing. Neither one of them even looked at him with any surprise; Vegeta and Goku had long since gotten used to people landing and taking off like they were birds and Ki-Adi had learned to accept that nothing in life was as it should be. Krillin looked at the three that were standing there then turned to where Obi-Wan was walking to, an eyebrow raised and a half smile forced upon his lips.

"And leave us behind?" Krillin as innocently enough as Goku picked up Garlic, Jr.'s body and slinged it over his shoulder rather forcibly.

"You'd know where we'd be." Goku didn't look happy about something as he started to follow in Obi-Wan's footsteps and Krillin had more then an inkling as to what he now seemed to be upset about. Yamcha and Tien landed not far from where Krillin did, both of them doing the same as their friend had before but did not question where they were going. Instead they looked around and counted who was there, partly satisfied that there was no Frieza to be found; they knew where Cold and Ginyu were at and had left those bodies to decompose on their own.

"Where's Frieza's body?" Yamcha asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Where do you _think_ it is?" Vegeta said coldly but did not add to that response with a glare. "Lets go, we don't have all day."

Vegeta started to trudge through the sand along the path that Goku was taking, hardly intent on staying on Tatooine for every much longer then he had already. Obi-Wan was already out of their sight but would wait rather impatiently on the other side for the rest to catch up if all else failed. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien had questioning looks about what had just happened and had turned to Ki-Adi for an explanation on it when he raised a hand before any of the three could speak or ask a question.

"Don't ask, we'll explain it when we find Anakin and the queen. It's best to do one rather then more." Walking past them, he lowered his arm and started to follow Goku and Vegeta out of where they had done the battle. The three remaining figures stood where they were in a moment of confusion right before they all sighed at the same time and followed Ki-Adi.

They wouldn't need much of an explanation as to what had transpired but were more then a bit curious as to where the body of that so-called Sith was at. Where was his body? Had they buried it already or had he gotten away? If so, where was he and why wasn't anyone going after him? They'd know in time if they kept asking the right questions, that or have a lightsabre to their throats demanding that they be quiet. Either way they'd be returning home in due time and that lifted their spirits.

**To Be Continued**


End file.
